Free State Headless Thaba 'Nchu.

Photo: Pixabay

Free State: SAPS baffled after headless body found ‘floating in a dam’

Where do you even start with this? SAPS in Free State have been left perplexed by the shocking discovery of a headless man in Thaba ‘Nchu.

Free State Headless Thaba 'Nchu.

Photo: Pixabay

Free State police are scrambling for answers this week, after they were left bamboozled by a horrifying discovery. The body of a headless man was found floating in a dam outside of Thaba ‘Nchu on Monday, sparking an immediate response from the local branch of SAPS. The decapitation is making life difficult for investigators, however.

Where is Thaba ‘Nchu?

Thaba ‘Nchu is a town in Free State, which lies 63km east of Bloemfontein and 17km east of Botshabelo. Around 70 000 people live in this part of the country, but few will have been confronted by such a harrowing event.

The body was recovered just after 14:00 yesterday. A member of the public was the first to encounter the grim sight, before calling the police. Identifying the victim has proved difficult, as officers still cannot find the missing head.

‘Headless body’ found floating in Free State

SAPS issued a statement on the matter on Tuesday, summarising the key points of the case so far. A murder investigation has been launched, and a vague description of the headless man found in the dam has been released:

“The Police in Thaba’Nchu were summoned to Rietfontein Trust on Monday, 23 November 2020 at about 14:00 after a community member noticed a body floating at a dam. On arrival, police found a body floating at a local dam in Rietfontein. The body of a male was retrieved and upon inspection, the police noticed that the victim’s head was decapitated”.

“He was wearing a black legging and is medium built and dark in complexion. A case of murder has been registered for further investigation. The victim is unknown and cannot be identified at this stage as his head is yet to be found. Anyone with information is requested to contact Thaba Nchu Detectives on 082 467 6612 or call Crime Stop at 08600 10111.”

Free State SAPS statement

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