SAPS rules out serial killer in Kempton Park deaths
· The South African
Police have ruled out a serial killer in the investigation into a number of women found dead in and around Kempton Park.
At the time of publication, SAPS national spokesperson Brigadier Athlenda Mathe confirmed that investigators were no longer pursuing the serial killer theory.
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However, she said police could not disclose why investigators had reached that conclusion while the investigation remained active.
The development comes after the discovery of a fifth woman’s body in Gauteng on Monday, 14 September.
Police continue to investigate the circumstances surrounding the deaths and whether links exist between any of the cases.
SAPS keeps details under wraps
The possibility of a serial killer had emerged after police identified similarities in some of the deaths.
Several women were found partially clothed, with visible injuries, while some of the bodies were discovered in the Kempton Park area over a period of about two months.
SAPS subsequently mobilised a multidisciplinary team comprising detectives and specialised policing resources.
Mathe said police had now ruled out the serial killer theory but could not disclose the evidence or investigative findings behind that decision at this stage.
Police have also cautioned against assuming that all the cases are connected.
Elizabeth Moselakgomo identified
The latest development comes after SAPS confirmed that the fourth woman found dead in Kempton Park was missing runner Elizabeth “Tsontso” Moselakgomo.
Moselakgomo, 38, disappeared after leaving her Rhodesfield home for a run on 9 September.
Police found her body behind a hotel in Rhodesfield on 12 September. Her family formally identified her at the Germiston mortuary on Monday.
Acting National Police Commissioner Lieutenant General Puleng Dimpane has vowed that police will establish what happened to Moselakgomo and bring those responsible to justice.
One suspect remains in custody
Police have already made an arrest in connection with the first woman found dead in July.
Officers found the 37-year-old near the R21 on 15 July. Detectives arrested a suspect two days later, and he remains in custody.
SAPS has not linked that suspect to the other deaths.
Investigators are continuing to analyse the individual cases, available evidence and possible links where they exist.
Dimpane said the multidisciplinary team would work around the clock to identify and trace those responsible.
“We will not rest until we have established the truth,” she said.
This is a developing story.