Police in the Free State were left flabbergasted after human remains were found in the backyard of a home on Wednesday.
The human remains were found wrapped in a carpet in a sinking grave.
The provincial police spokesperson, Warrant Officer Mmako Mophiring said family members of the home reported the suspicious grave in their backyard at the police station.
“It's alleged that on December 27, 2023, at about 8am two men came to the Makwane police station and reported that they suspected there was something buried in their backyard. It's further alleged that they saw something like a sinking grave,” Mophiring said.
Upon the arrival of police at the scene, the grave had been dug up with a spade and a soiled carpet was flipped up.
“They discovered a human skull, a pair of jeans, and a soccer t-shirt. One family member identified that the clothes looked like that of his younger brother from the neighbouring country of Lesotho who was last seen during October 2021,” Mophiring said.
The family said they never reported the brother missing as he used to disappear for long periods of time before returning.
“An inquest has been opened to determine the cause of death, established whose remains the belongs to,” Mophiring added.