Memorial to be held for detective found dead at police station
ALEXANDRA - Lieutenant Colonel Morne Maritz was found dead in his office at the station, with a gunshot wound to the head, by his wife on 3 January.
A memorial service is being held at Alexandra Police Station today and the funeral the will be held tomorrow for the late Lieutenant Colonel Morne Maritz, who was head of the detective section.
Maritz (44) was found dead in his office at the station, with a gunshot wound to the head, by his wife on 3 January.
In a news report in the Star newspaper, provincial police spokesman, Lieutenant Colonel Lungelo Dlamini said the weapon and bullet recovered next to him were sent for ballistic testing.
Dlamini said Maritz’s wife told police that her husband left their home on Saturday saying he was going to work. It was not known when he left his house, but he arrived at the police station just after midnight and worked into Sunday.
After hours of trying to contact him, his wife went to look for him at the station on Sunday morning. Dlamini said it was not known when he died and officers did not suspect foul play at this stage as none of them on duty heard any gunshots. “No one heard anything. We are still investigating,” Dlamini said.
The death happened barely seven months after that of another officer at Alexandra Police Station, Major Thomas Moetlo. Moetlo was gunned down by another officer, Constable Ronnie Masie, who was also killed by a police reaction unit.
