Murdered Stella schoolgirls were both strangled – autopsy

The post mortems performed on Sharnelle Hough, 17, and Marna Engelbrecht, 16, the two schoolgirls who were found dead at the Stella High School on Saturday, have confirmed that both girls were strangled.

This is according to North West provincial police spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Amanda Fumani after the autopsies on the two friends were completed.

According to Fumani their bodies are still at the hospital in Stella where doctors are still collecting DNA samples to aid the police in their investigation. Only once this has been completed will their bodies be released to their families for burial.

The two Grade 11 learners of Stella High School, a small agricultural school in the town of Stella in the North West, were both found dead this past Saturday in the school’s girls’ hostel. They were allegedly attacked and killed by the 19-year-old ex-boyfriend of one of the girls, News 24 reports.

The suspect reportedly first strangled both girls with his bare hands, then later made it look like they’d committed suicide. Sharnelle was found hanging by a rope from the guardrail on the stairs, while Marna was found dead on the floor of one of the bathrooms, apparently with the strap of a backpack tied around her neck.

A joint memorial service will be held for the girls on Friday at the NG Church North in Vryburg, North West.

The suspect is still in custody after appearing in the magistrate’s court on two murder charges. He will remain in custody until 6 August. Capt. Charlize van der Linden, local police spokesperson, has confirmed that he has given police a statement but the details of it will only be revealed during court proceedings.

– Citizen reporter

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