The families of two elderly persons who vanished without a trace four years ago in two different towns are praying that their bodies may be found in order to give them closure, while one of them prays the killer may also be apprehended.
The family of 78-year-old Lorraine Jantjies, who disappeared on February 15, 2021, after leaving her home in Genadendal, believes she was buried the same day and that killer is known to her.
They are now praying for a breakthrough and that a key witness will be brave enough to give testimony to police following an apparent confession made to individuals close to the case.
Massive search teams, which comprised of police, the K-9 unit, forensic investigators and missing persons organisations searched for Jantjies with no success.
Police earlier confirmed that Jantjies’s adopted son, Gershwin Jantjies, was arrested shortly after she disappeared and their home was set alight.
The house is the same residence Jantjies was living in before she vanished.
Jantjies's husband, Freddie Jantjies, 78, died in August 2021 after suffering from a stroke and had been recovering from cancer.
Jantjies’s nephew, Albert Adams, who is a former police officer and has been keeping a close watch on the case, told the Cape Argus he was sure that she was murdered and that her killer placed her remains inside a hidden grave.
Police spokesperson, Aneliswe Manyana, said: “Kindly be advised that in the Genadendal case there are no new developments to report at this stage. Investigation/search continues.”
Adams said he believed a lie detector test for the witness would be the key into solving the case after admissions were made.
“I last complained to the police about the lie detector test that was never done. It was finally done last February, but it was only done on the suspect and not the two girls (witnesses)," he said.
“According to the Commander of the Detectives, he (name withheld) did not pass the test, and they have no further information.
“But the most important thing is the girl who made the allegations, knows who killed my aunt but they did not have the test done.”
Adams said he was waiting for closure as he was sure his aunt was no longer alive.
“I am dead sure that the killer buried her somewhere near the high school.”
He said they believed the witness had been threatened not to speak.
Ceejay Mactavie, the daughter of Japhta Daniels Julius, 74, who disappeared on April 25, 2021 after leaving his home in Tunny Crescent, Strandfontein, said they were hoping to find closure and had done the DNA testing with forensics to determine whether his body belonged to an unclaimed person.
“April will be four years since my father disappeared, there has been no leads or follow up,” she said.
“My DNA was requested by the police to go into the national database that gave some hope, dead or alive, that we could have at least given us closure if someone was a match.
“We have been to a number of funerals of fathers of family and friends, we go there as it is a traumatizing loss, we think that they are able to bury their loved one.
“We have a new view point to be able to bury your loved one, we desire that the most as not knowing is the worst.
“We deal with our celebrations and holidays and we have moments when we miss him terribly.”
Chaz Thomas, of Track n Trace Missing Persons said they had done various searches for Jantjies and also continued to share the posters of the missing persons.
Police said they were yet to receive feedback from Strandfontein SAPS on Julius’s case.
Cape Argus