Body found in septic tank as elderly couple murdered on farm north of Bloemfontein

Police are investigating a double murder after finding the bodies of an elderly couple slain on their farm in the Free State at the weekend.

Glen police were called to the farm, north of Bloemfontein, on Saturday after being notified by a neighbour that he had been unable to reach the couple telephonically.

The attending officers found the door of the property open, with the contents of the farmhouse ransacked. The elderly couple were not in the house but trails of blood were present on the farmhouse’s floor.

Police searched the area for several hours into the night before discovering the body of the 76-year-old man roughly 300m from the farmhouse.

The search continued before the body of the 73-year-old woman was found in the property’s septic tank. The couple’s Toyota Land Cruiser was later found near the nearby town of Brandfort, roughly 30kms north of the incident.

Police spokesperson Sergeant Mahlomola Kareli confirmed the incident.

He said: “Glen police are investigating cases of house robbery and murder. Preliminary investigations revealed that both victims suffered open wounds on the upper body and were certified dead at the scene. Tools and electronic items were stolen from the house.

“A manhunt is underway and so far, no one has been arrested. Anyone who might have information is requested to contact Colonel Ben Bolsiek from the Provincial Serious and Violent Crimes Unit.”

Second Free State couple attacked days earlier

A couple believed to be in their sixties were attacked on their farm by a group of men shortly before midnight on 1 May.

Bloemfontein Courant reported that four males entered the farmhouse before beating and tying up the couple.  

Sergeant Kareli confirmed that the suspects made off with six rifles, two shotguns, two handguns, and a revolver from the Ladybrand farmhouse. The suspects fed the scene in a white Mahindra 4×4.

The couple sustained multiple injuries and were transported to hospital in a serious but stable condition.