Johannesburg – Police say a teenager has confessed to them to having been behind the murder of his cousin, 14, whose decomposed body was found in a pit toilet.
According to the police, the two lived in the same house – the suspect’s father and the deceased’s mother are siblings.
Spokesperson for the Mpumalanga Police Brigadier Leonard Hlathi said the suspect, 19, confessed to his aunt and police.
Hlathi said the victim was last seen by her family on Wednesday, September 16.
It was also on that day the suspect went to his mother’s house in another village.
Hlathi said the family only realised something bad might have happened to the victim when, the next day, they received received threatening text messages and a ransom demand in exchange for her release.
While Hlathi did not say how much was requested, he said it was a considerable amount.
“They (family) then notified the police who opened a case of kidnapping and an investigation began.”
Hlathi said on Saturday, the family realised there was a stench coming from the pit toilet, and that was when her lifeless body was discovered.
“We suspected she was suffocated as there was a plastic bag around her neck.
“Police were notified about the discovery and upon arrival at the scene, they opened a murder case. They (police) worked tirelessly in search for her killers and made a breakthrough today by arresting a suspect who has been fingered in the case. It is believed the girl might have been drugged prior to her death. However, a post-mortem will be conducted to determine the cause of death.”
Hlathi said the suspect confessed to the murder to his aunt as well as to the police and that they were still busy with investigations.
IOL