Body found at suspect's house
2008-08-16 19:02
Johannesburg - The body of a missing 16-year-old girl was found in a pit latrine behind the house of a man suspected of her murder in the village of Ditshilong near Taung, North West police said on Saturday.
Captain Adele Myburgh said 16-year-old Bontle Modisaotsile was last seen alive by her twin sister on August 2 when she told her sister that she was going to visit relatives in a nearby village.
When she failed to return home her family went to look for her and found that she had never arrived for her visit. Her family then reported her missing. Police searched in vain, following up on information provided.
But, at around 20:00 on Thursday, about 80 villagers descended on the house in Ditshilong of a man they implicated in her disappearance.
They assaulted him and police arrived on the scene, and managed to calm everybody down.
A police guard remained at the house throughout the evening to ensure that the community did not try to assault the man again but also to ensure that he did not flee.
They brought search-and-rescue dogs to his house on Friday morning and searched his house and the surrounding area.
One of the dogs reacted when it reached the pit latrine behind his house.
Police removed the structure surrounding the latrine and saw a foot sticking out of the pit but were unable to removed the body.
Emergency services were called in and with their help police managed to empty the latrine and remove the decomposing body.
The body was identified by her parents as that of Modisaotsile.
The 37-year-old man, who was on the scene, collapsed and was rushed to hospital, where it was discovered that he had tried to kill himself with a pesticide.
He is under police guard at the hospital, in a serious condition, and will be charged with murder and kidnapping when he has recuperated.
- SAPA