Pietermaritzburg - The shock discovery of a teenage couple, dead in a chalet at a KwaZulu-Natal holiday resort, has left their family reeling and fuelled speculation about the cause of the tragedy.
The bodies of Tashlin Sewnarain, 19, and his girlfriend Taybah Adam Shaik, 16, were found in their self-catering chalet at Peatties Lake Resort in Albert Falls on Sunday morning.
Resort manager, Dan Thompson, who has been employed there the past two months, made the discovery after the Pietermaritzburg couple failed to check out.
After investigating, he broke a window pane to gain entry to the chalet, which had been locked from the inside, and made the discovery.
Police said the young couple were found dead in the shower. There were no visible signs of injury.
Thompson told the Daily News the geyser worked off gas, but it could not be confirmed on Tuesday whether a gas leak may have been responsible for the deaths.
Sewnarain and Shaik, who had gone to spend the night at the chalet on Saturday, had told their mothers, via WhatsApp, that they were having a good time.
Sewnarain told his mother his girlfriend had cooked a nice meal and Shaik is believed to have told her mother “I love you”.
Both had dropped out of university and school. Shaik had quit Grade 11, while Sewnarain, a B.Com student, left in March and had found a job with the Unlimited Group.
Sewnarain’s mother said on Tuesday that her son was “adorable and the live wire in the family”.
She added that, “he was loved by everyone”.
The Shaik family, of Deccan Road, Mountain Rise, could not be reached for comment.
They were in Durban on Tuesday to immerse the ashes of their daughter.
Both families have apparently ruled out the possibility of a suicide pact.
The teens were cremated at the Mountain Rise Crematorium within a few hours of each other and both funerals took place on Tuesday.
Sewnarain’s ashes were immersed at the Sivananda Ghat in Clare Estate while Shaik’s ashes were immersed in the sea.
Crammond police, who are investigating the incident, have confirmed that an inquest document has been opened.