'Human stew' has cops puzzled
2005-12-04 23:02
Pretoria - A piece of liver and a thumb bubbled in a pot on a fire a few metres from a man's mutilated body, but the killer had fled by the time police arrived.
The victim apparently was stabbed with a knife and his chest cut open.
His liver, and possibly other organs, too, were removed. His right leg was amputated at the groin, but re-attached to the body with a piece of wire.
His right thumb was chopped off.
According to a police source, Metrorail workers saw a man with the body shortly after 07:00 on Saturday near Nelson Mandela Drive, Pretoria, but he fled when they approached.
The workers called police and forensic detectives combed the area.
ID book found nearby
The victim apparently was a homeless person who was last seen alive in the area on Friday night.
Apart from a piece of the liver and the right thumb in the pot, police also found a larger piece of liver on a rock near the body.
It was not yet clear who the victim was, despite an ID book being found there.
A post-mortem was to be done on Monday to determine the cause of death and whether other organs besides the liver had been removed.
A print will be taken from the thumb in the pot to compare with the body and DNA tests will show whether the liver was that of the victim.