Kimberley - A Prieska family has been left with a number of unanswered questions after the decomposed body of their missing relative was found almost a week after she went missing.
The body of Johanna Tieties, 20, was found behind a koppie on Friday by a passer-by who was collecting firewood.
According to the deceased’s sister, Erna Tieties, the details surrounding the death of her sister are still sketchy.
“We do not know who is responsible for the death of my sister, nor do we know the details of how she died and how her body ended up at the koppie. All we know thus far is that she is dead after she went missing” said Erna on Saturday.
She added that they had reported her sister missing after she did not come home to attend a family friend’s wedding.
“The last time I saw my sister was when she came to collect money from me at my workplace on Saturday morning last week. I had asked her the previous day to buy me shoes for the wedding. She was accompanied by two girls, who were from Cape Town, but were also guests at the wedding. They left after I handed Johanna the money.
“I had asked my sister to come and show me the shoes after she had bought them. She, however, never returned to my workplace, but I did not think much about that.”
Erna said that her sister was not at home after she finished work later that day.
“We were all getting ready for the wedding and I enquired from the family members at home where Johanna was and whether she had bought the shoes. They all indicated they had not seen her since the morning.
“I went to look whether she had left for the wedding but her clothes were still at home. I called her but her phone was off. I then decided that I would ask the two girls who accompanied her to my work, about what happened.”
She said the two girls, however, could not shed any light on the matter. “The girls told me that Johanna had gotten into a white bakkie. They said Johanna handed them her cellphone, got into the bakkie and they walked back home. They handed me the phone.
“The girls have since returned to Cape Town.”
Erna said that the owner of the bakkie, who is a family member, said that he had dropped her sister off at a local store.
“The bakkie belongs to my cousin’s husband. We know the owner of the bakkie very well. He told us that he dropped my sister off in front of the local Spar. There are people who claim that they saw her get out of the bakkie. However, nobody knows what happened to Johanna afterwards.”
Erna stated that the discovery of her sister’s body was devastating news for the family.
“We were searching for my sister since she disappeared. We reported her missing and the police had also searched for her. Her body was apparently found in a decomposed state but we have not yet seen her body as it was taken for forensic evaluation.
“We heard that her body was in a terrible state and that her underwear was missing. There are suspicions that she was raped and assaulted but there is no suspect that has been arrested in connection with this.”
She added that the family suspect that there may be more than one person responsible for her sister’s death.
“I am not sure how the person who is responsible for my sister’s death took her to the koppie but we know that my sister was no pushover. She was very feisty and would have put up a great fight if someone tried to hurt her. We hope that whoever was responsible is brought to book soon,” said Erna.
Police spokesperson, Captain Olebogeng Tawana, said that the police are investigating the matter.
“The police have opened an inquest docket after the body of a 20-year-old woman was found near a koppie near Prieska. Johanna Koekiemeid Tieties went missing on September 30. Her body was found on October 5 at approximately 2.30pm by a passer-by, who alerted the police.
“Any information that could assist us with our investigation is asked to contact the investigating officer, Warrant Officer Jafta, at 082 4954 767. The investigation continues,” Tawana said.