Cell key in student's death
2005-04-04 08:39
Cape Town - Cellphone records could place the person responsible for killing University of Stellenbosch student Inge Lotz, 21, "at the scene of the crime".
Neil van Heerden, former Western Cape police commissioner and now private detective for George Fivaz and Associates, said this new information is part of the body of evidence that could lead to the arrest of Lotz's murderer.
Lotz's body was found in her flat in the Shiraz apartment block near Welgevonden in the outskirts of Stellenbosch on March 16.
The top student had been hit over the head with an object several times. She had also been stabbed in the heart and her little finger had been broken.
"The latest information will enable us to arrest the suspect within the next three weeks or so. The cellphone records will show whether the suspect was in Lotz's flat on the day of the murder or not.
"We are still waiting for the forensic results of blood tests and fingerprints. This will give us an airtight case against the suspect. It will prevent the person from being released on bail," Van Heerden said.
Van Heerden suspects that Lotz's death was a crime of passion.
He said her cellphone, laptop computer and wallet were still in her flat after the murder.
Van Heerden asked anyone who had perhaps seen Lotz at the Steers restaurant in Stellenbosch on Wednesday, March 16, to contact him on 021 949 4047 or 082 907 5135.