Cape Town - Two suspects found in possession of Barrydale pensioner, Erna Gericke’s car will appear in the local magistrate’s court on a charge of theft of a motor vehicle.
Gericke’s body was found after she went for a walk and did not return.
The two were found in possession of Gericke’s car which she parked at Rondomskrik, a popular parking spot for hikers. Gericke went for a walk at about 2pm on Sunday, She was reported missing by her husband when she did not return home at about 6pm.
Police spokesperson Malcolm Pojie said a search comprising various police units and community members commenced soon thereafter.
“Between 02:00 and 03:00 on Monday, members of the search party, that included the missing person’s daughter, found the Gericke in a badly injured state approximately five to six km in the Waterfall Hiking Trail,” said Pojie.
He said paramedics declared the victim dead. An autopsy was expected to be done on the body yesterday, to determine the cause of death.
Dutch Reformed Church reverend Olivier Muller, said Gericke was found on a footpath to the falls, alleging that the person who examined her expressed the suspicion that it was probably an accident.
“Currently, no foul play was suspected,” said Pojie.
He said police followed up on information about the deceased car, which was no longer at the parking spot.
“Members noticed possible signs of a break in which led members to believe that the car was possibly stolen. Through the vigilance of the farm watch and rural safety structures, information was passed on about the whereabouts of the car,” he said.
Pojie said upon further investigation, the police and the community found the car abandoned behind a hill near the Tradouwhoek with the right front window shattered.
“Subsequent to the find, two suspects aged 18 and 24 from a farm in the area were arrested. The spare keys were found in the possession of one of the suspects which link them to the theft of the motor vehicle,” he said.
Charles Payne, chairperson of the Barrydale Crime Watch and the Community Police Forum, said he was not going to try and contradict the statement from the police because there was an ongoing investigation.
Payne said yes, Gericke did go for a walk on one of the hiking trails in the mountain towards the waterfall after lunch time on Sunday, and her body was found in a very bad state, in the early hours on Monday.
Swellendam Municipality’s senior communications officer, Bianca McKechnie said unfortunately, the scene was still under investigation and until the police have confirmed information for public release, they cannot comment on the matter either.
Cape Argus