Two bodies found with handcuffs in Klip River identified

Police have confirmed this week that they have identified the bodies of two people who were handcuffed and had their feet fastened with cable ties in Klip River, South of Gauteng.

The river also borders the Free State.

Free State police spokesperson, Captain Loraine Earle said the deceased had been identified as Peter Chales Jaggers (43) and William Raymond Petersen (63), both from Cape Town.

The case has been handed over to the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigations in Gauteng for investigation into the circumstances surrounding the deaths.

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Discovery of the bodies

The police were notified of the bodies after they were contacted by someone who was passing by on the bridge over the river on 11 October 2024.

“The South African Police Service Diving Unit was summoned to the scene and discovered one more body a few meters away from the first one.”

The bodies were in a bad state of decomposition.

Tattoos on the bodies

She added the police noticed the first victim did not have teeth but many tattoos, with only a few visible ones such as “Billie 08/06/2016” on his back, a cross with fire on the right leg calf, and the word “Kauthew” written on his left hand.

The second victim had teeth, tattoos such as “International Croock” on his back, and flames on his leg.

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Possible kidnapping

Earle said Jaggers and Petersen were allegedly kidnapped.

“Their families positively identified the two men.”

“We urge anyone with information related to this case to contact Detective Colonel Ben Bolsiek on 0824668530, the Police Crimeline at 0860010111, or drop an anonymous tipoff on MySaps App.

We appreciate the community’s cooperation and support as we work to uncover the facts surrounding this incident.”

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