Killed woman found 4 days later

2008-11-20 07:48

Buks Viljoen

Johannesburg - The body of an elderly woman from Witbank was found in the bathroom of her house four days after she had been murdered.

Daphné Wilkes, 64, had been badly assaulted, hit in the face several times and stabbed at least ten times.

Before her murderer fled, he stabbed her with such force that the butcher's knife went straight through her neck. There were several stab wounds on her hand, arm and back.

Police spokesperson Captain Eddie Hall said Wilkes was last seen alive last Thursday afternoon. Her neighbour had seen her in the garden, talking to a labourer.

The alarm was only raised at 22:00 on Monday when the security company received a signal that the electricity in her home had gone off.

They tried to contact her, but she didn't answer the phone.

The police accompanied the security staff to the house in the Ben Fleur area in Witbank.

Water streaming out of house

"Water was streaming out from under the front door," Hall said.

The door was broken down and Wilkes's body was found lying next to the bath. The bathroom tap was open and the whole house was flooded.

"We suspect she was on her way to having a bath when she was attacked," he said.

Several personal items, including her purse and cellphone, as well as a TV and a toaster, were missing.

The murderer apparently also tried to steal her car. Hall said he could probably not get it started, because the keys were still in the ignition.

- Beeld