The body of a missing 5-year-old boy was found naked and standing upright next to a fridge with a string tied around his neck and a handkerchief tied around his ankles.
Johannesburg – A couple has been arrested after the body of a 5-year-old Orange Farm boy who had been reported missing was found dead in their tavern.
The body was naked and standing upright next to a fridge. Police said there was a string tied around the neck and a handkerchief tied around the ankles.
Gauteng police spokesperson Colonel Kay Makhubele said the couple, aged 29 and 30 years old are owners of the tavern where the gruesome discovery was made. They were arrested on Thursday afternoon.
“The police opened a case of murder for further investigation. The arrested suspects will appear in court soon,” he said.
Makhubele said the boy’s grandmother had reported him missing at the Orange Farm Police Station on Tuesday around 3pm.
Makhubele said the following day around 10pm, the body of the boy was found in Extension 4 Orange Farms inside the tavern. Later, it was found that it belonged to the child who had been reported missing.
“The duty officer on standby attended the scene and on his arrival found a body of a five-year-old boy in an upright position, naked and next to the fridge with a string tied around his neck and a handkerchief tied around his ankles,” Makhubele said.
At the time, he said, there was no one at the tavern as it was not operational due to the ongoing lockdown.
Makhubele said the boy’s cause of death was not yet known and a post-mortem would determine that how he had been killed.
The Star
