New twist in St Stithians tragedy as police open murder case
· The South African
Police have opened a murder case following postmortem findings into the deaths of St Stithians teenagers Cameron Waldeck-Cooks, a Grade 11 learner, and 19-year-old Ethan Coetzee, who were found dead at a lodge in Sabie, Mpumalanga.
Police respond to lodge
The South African Police Service (SAPS) said officers were called to the lodge on Monday, 3 August, at about 07:50 after reports that two people had been found dead.
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When officers arrived, they found the bodies of a 19-year-old man and a 17-year-old girl. Both were declared dead at the scene.
Police initially registered an inquest docket.
Postmortem changes direction of investigation
The investigation took a new turn after the postmortem examination.
According to SAPS, the results suggest the 17-year-old girl may have been strangled, while the 19-year-old man may have taken his own life.
Police have since added a murder charge to the investigation.
“The postmortem results suggests that the 17-year-old female may have been strangled, while the 19-year-old male may have taken his own life,” SAPS said.
Investigation continues
Police said the investigation is ongoing to establish the full circumstances surrounding the deaths.
On Tuesday, St Stithians College shared two separate posts about the tragic deaths of Ethan Coetzee and Cameron Waldeck-Cooks.
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