Mystery over burnt body
2009-11-18 08:33
Vanderbijlpark - The body of a "smart, well-groomed" young woman with long, blonde hair was set alight next to a road in the Vaal Rand on Monday morning.
The gruesome scene was discovered by a passer-by, who came upon the burning body alongside Welgevonden road between Orange Farm and Poortjie.
She was presumed to be aged between 16 and 20.
The man phoned the police, extinguished the fire, and stayed with the body until the police arrived on the scene, at approximately 04:30.
The girl was lying on her back about a metre from the side of the road, amongst litter in the long grass.
Face unrecognisable
A vehicle's brake marks were clearly visible on the tar next to the spot where she was found. No effort was made to hide the body.
"Smoke was hanging in the area early in the morning, and the pedestrian had gone to see what was on fire, when he came upon the burning body," said police spokesperson Johannes Motsiri on Tuesday.
"Something was poured over the girl's face and she was set on fire after an unknown fluid was poured over her body as well. Her face was especially badly burnt, making her unrecognisable."
According to Motsiri, the girl had no form of identification on her.
"It's difficult to determine her age because she's been burnt so severely, but she is young," Motsiri said.
One of her hands wasn't burnt. Her fingernails and toenails are painted with red varnish, and there are pink streaks in her hair.
"She was wearing a bra, panties and a T-shirt," said Motsiri.
Apparently the T-shirt is multi-coloured with horizontal stripes.
May have still been alive when set alight
According to Motsiri, the police are investigating the possibility that the girl was first murdered elsewhere, then dumped on the side of the road and set alight.
Beeld heard from a reliable source that preliminary post-mortem results indicate that she could still have been alive when she was set on fire.
It is not clear whether she had been sexually assaulted.
"She looks like a smart, well-groomed girl and I can't believe that no-one is looking for her," said someone involved in the murder investigation.
"We started working on the murder investigation immediately and are looking for the victim's next of kin," said Motsiri.
The police are asking for anyone with information regarding the murder or the identity of the girl to phone the investigating officer, Chris Olifant, at 083 692 7786.