Gruesome find in Apies

2003-08-04 22:19

Marietie Louw

Pretoria - Bloody handprints against the concrete wall of the Apies River in Capital Park, Pretoria, bore silent testimony on Monday of a woman's last minutes before she died.

The 40-year-old woman's head was smashed to a pulp and she had several bruises to her face.

An employee of Langenhoven High School found the bloody body on Sunday morning and stopped a metro police vehicle for help.

Police are apparently investigating a winding trail of blood of several metres along the Apies River.

Apart from the handprints, there were also two large bloodstains on the cement bottom of the river. Police suspect that the seriously injured woman wandered around after the attack before she eventually died.

It is unclear whether the woman was thrown or pushed from the river wall of about 4m, or whether she jumped.

The victim has not been identified yet.

Elsa Mitchell, a resident of the area, said it seemed as if the woman had struggled, judging by the amount of blood.

Her husband Danny said a bag of belongings was found near the body.

Inspector Percy Morokane, police spokesperson, said it was unclear whether the woman was murdered or committed suicide.

A post-mortem will probably be done on Tuesday.

The place where the woman's body was found has a history of gruesome events.

In June 2000, a member of the defence force shot and killed three men along the Apies River and in 1999 serial killer Samuel Sidyno murdered two women and five boys in the area and hid them under branches.

- Beeld