Search for missing Herolds Bay girl called off

The search for the Herolds Bay girl whose mother and brother died when their car went over a cliff has been called off, with the police scaling back to periodic patrols.

“She is still missing,” said Captain Malcom Pojie of six-year-old Cuzette Scheepers.

The alarm was raised when Heidi, Cuzette and two-year-old Hugo went missing on October 22.

On October 24, their vehicle, a VW Caravelle, was found at the bottom of a cliff when a search party noticed tyre tracks near a ledge in nearby Voelklip.

The tracks were found on top of the more than 100m drop, and a search and rescue team, as well as a rescue craft and helicopter were activated to scour the area.

Little Hugo’s body was found in a gorge, and then on Saturday Heidi’s body was found, also in the sea.

Pojie said the police opened an inquest after concluding that they had drowned.

They still do not know why the vehicle went over the cliff.

In the meantime, Heidi’s widower, Ettienne, put paid to rumours which included that they were in financial difficulty or had marital troubles in a report in the George Herald.

He said she had been through a bout of depression last year but had been treated.

Cuzette had attended a school for children with special needs.

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