When the tight-knit community of Berario learned of the brutal murder of Sophia Roux (44) and her son Daniel van Gaalen (12) on July 3, they were left reeling.
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More than a month later, there are no updates on the investigation.
Clive Maher from SCP Security says he is determined this case will not ‘go cold’.
“When I arrived, we found the bodies of Sophia and little Daniel upstairs in their home. Both had been viciously stabbed multiple times. It was a crime scene of violence that I had not seen in years. It was truly heart-breaking.”
He says as far as he is aware nobody heard or saw anything unusual that evening and there were no signs of forced entry into the property.
“In my opinion, this was a crime of hate and not an armed robbery as very little was taken. Unfortunately, we still have a lot of unanswered questions.”
Also read: Sophiatown policing precinct shaken by murder incident
A family friend, who wishes to remain anonymous due to the suspicious nature of the case, says the pair were happy, generous, loved and wonderful. “Little Daniel was a unique boy, highly intelligent, sensitive, creative, and a joy to be around. We need to always remember them; always.
“We are determined to find out what happened to our beloved Sophia and Daniel. It’s been several weeks now but nobody is giving any feedback or even calling from authorities. They cannot become yet another statistic of violent crime in South Africa – we will not rest until we find closure.”
Because of the violent nature of their killing, Maher says, “the community needs an update or feedback from the police to quell fears that this was not an isolated incident.”
Lieutenant Colonel Prudence Mvelase, station commander of Fairland police says, “investigations continue. If anyone with information that can lead to the arrest of the suspect can come forward, we can apprehend the perpetrator(s) if we know of their whereabouts.” She would not be drawn further for additional information.
Maher says he believes the police were able to successfully remove some evidence that will be examined by a laboratory and that the case has been escalated to the provincial level with a task team having been appointed.
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