A CLEANER is the number one suspect after he allegedly confessed to the murder of a Turffontein employee who was missing for over a week.
The cleaner, a 34-year-old man, was arrested and appeared in court on July 31.
He was facing a murder charge after police found a burnt body in Benoni believed to be that of the missing person.
Police also confirmed that the 34-year-old man who appeared in the Johannesburg Magistrate’s Court, was linked to the disappearance of a man they initially thought was a jockey.
Phumelela Gaming Management confirmed the murdered man had been an employee of the racecourse.
They corrected what was initially reported in the media as ‘a raceway jockey’ to ‘an aspirant work rider’.
The gaming management said in a statement that one of their cleaners confessed to the murder after the aspirant worker went missing on July 24.
“His body was later found by the police and Phumelela has since been informed that one of their maintenance staff members has allegedly confessed to the murder. Phumelela and its security company are co-operating with the police and will continue to do so throughout the investigation.”
Phumelela offered condolences to members of the deceased’s family.
Police still have to confirm the outcome of court proceedings.
Read original story here: Suspect nabbed in mysterious jockey disappearance
It was provincial police spokesperson Brigadier Vishnu Naaidoo who said the 34-year-old was arrested and linked to the murder of the missing Turfontein racecourse aspirant rider.
Naaidoo told the COURIER that police found the charred remains of what they had reason to believe was the victim in Benoni.
The mysterious disappearance of the aspirant rider – whose name was still to be released – has police investigating a murder.
Naaidoo explained that burnt remains were found after police arrested the suspect who took them to a location in Benoni.
“Members from the National Crime Intelligence Unit provided the Booysens police with intelligence relating to a possible suspect.”
The 34-year-old man was arrested on Friday, 28 July 2017.
The suspect allegedly disposed of the body of the victim according to Naidoo.
A police statement from Naidoo said the police had reason to believe the charred remains where those of the victim.
“The Police will now be conducting DNA analysis to confirm if the body belongs to the jockey who was reported missing after he disappeared from the race course on July 24.”
An enquiry asking if there were any findings on the DNA results was sent to Naaidoo who was unavailable for comment on Thursday.
The COURIER is awaiting feedback on both the name of the victim and that of the suspected culprit.
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