Police have launched an investigation in the Free State after a decomposing arm was found in an open field near a bus stop.
Chelsea Ogilvie/News24
Police have launched an investigation in the Free State after a decomposing arm was found in an open field near a bus stop.
A man was walking through the field at Thaba Bosiu Village near Motloang on Tuesday when he made the gruesome discovery, according to provincial police commissioner Lieutenant-General Baile Motswenyane.
The severed left limb was found at around 15:00 near the local bus stop and appears to have been amputated just below the elbow.
Members of the Crime Prevention Unit attached to Namahadi Vispol have launched an investigation after the discovery.
“Following the discovery, SAPS members, supported by local community volunteers, conducted an extensive search of the surrounding bushes and fields,” Motswenyane said, adding that despite these efforts, “the rest of the body has not yet been located”.
READ | Missing SANDF member: Body found in Mpumalanga river yet to be identified
Police have appealed to members of the community who may have information regarding a missing person or who may have witnessed suspicious activity in the Thaba Bosiu area to contact them.
In a separate incident, Free State police arrested a 37-year-old man after two men were shot dead last week in Odendaalsrus.
Motswenyane said the men, aged 23 and 24, were fatally shot in the chest after an argument.
“The motive for the murders will form part of police investigations,” it said.
The suspect was subsequently arrested and charged with murder.