‘Thrill of the hunt’: Experts weigh in on Ekurhuleni murders - TimesLIVE

As police intensify their investigations into the killing of nine women whose bodies were found in different locations in Ekurhuleni, investigators and criminologists remain divided over whether the string of murders can yet be linked to a single perpetrator.

Seasoned private investigator Chris Craucamp, who played a key role in solving the case of the Pretoria serial killer, believes the pattern of killings suggests a mobile and calculating offender operating within the triangle of Brakpan, Boksburg and Kempton Park.

He says the suspect may be driven by deep-seated trauma or a hatred of women, and he could be stalking victims before disposing of their bodies in remote locations, possibly deriving a twisted thrill from the ongoing investigation and media attention.

However, leading criminologists urge caution before drawing any conclusions. Prof Christiaan Bezuidenhout of the University of Pretoria stresses that only forensic evidence and established case linkage, such as DNA, can confirm the presence of a serial killer. He notes that South Africa’s high murder rate means multiple bodies discovered in close proximity are not unprecedented, though it is unusual.

“We cannot say that until the police have enough evidence, collected enough evidence to say, OK, we’ve got case linkage between all eight bodies now, or nine bodies,” Bezuidenhout said.

Dr Gerard Labuschagne, former head of the South African Police Service Investigative Psychology Section, echoes calls for a focused police response, arguing that the similarities in victim profiles and geographic clustering justify treating the cases as potentially linked, at least until evidence proves otherwise.

Craucamp believes police may be dealing with a serial killer. However, Bezuidenhout said investigators needed sufficient evidence to establish whether the cases were connected before referring to a single offender or a serial killer.

“There are so many bodies lying in shallow graves, in bushes, in dams, in rivers, maybe in houses or in gardens,” he said.

However, he acknowledged that the discovery of several women’s bodies in relatively close proximity was a distinctive aspect requiring attention.

“What makes this unique is that we found several women in relatively close proximity,” he said.

Craucamp said that the victims’ age range, their routines and the fact that some may have been running alone in isolated areas could be relevant to understanding how they were targeted.

He also raised the possibility that the perpetrator may have stalked or followed potential victims before attacking them.

There are so many bodies lying in shallow graves, in bushes, in dams, in rivers, maybe in houses or in gardens.

Craucamp said there is a possibility that the perpetrator may be killing women at another location before dumping their bodies in different areas, including near freeways and other quiet spots where the bodies were found in recent weeks.

He added that the suspect could be familiar with the area and deliberately chooses locations with limited visibility and CCTV coverage.

He said the bodies may have been kept for days before being disposed of, potentially at night, and that the offender could be monitoring media reports and police investigations.

However, Craucamp emphasised that these are theories that require further investigation and cannot yet be confirmed by evidence.

He said the perpetrator may derive a thrill from following media coverage and monitoring how police respond to the discovery of the bodies.

Drawing from his experience investigating a Pretoria serial killer case, he has called for police stations across Ekurhuleni to improve communication and share information to identify possible links between cases with similar characteristics and to communicate with mortuaries.

Labuschagne, who was the head of the Investigative Psychology Section, which is the profiling unit of SAPS, said due to the relatively close geographic proximity and timeframe of the murders and the similar victimology, it makes sense to treat this as serial murders until information to the contrary comes to light.

“Even if the cases prove to be the work of separate offenders, they will get far more attention as part of a dedicated task team focusing on them,” Labuschagne said.

He said the geographical proximity, timeframe and similarities in the victims’ profiles warranted the activation of the SAPS Policy on Serial Murder Investigation, which was approved by the minister of police in 2016.

Labuschagne said victim selection depends on the psychological motive the suspect has, and often a hatred for real or perceived injustices towards the offender are the driving motivation.

“Actual selection on the day of the murder depends on the circumstances. They may have a victim preference in mind but the offender has to overlay that with what is available. Serial offenders don’t often stalk/target the victims beforehand. The Norwood serial murderer many years ago did have an element of pre-targeting, but that is few and far between. The victim would usually overlap with their ‘approach area’ where the suspect operates when out looking for a victim.”

He said investigators must establish whether the crimes share behavioural patterns, what the evidence reveals about the possible offender, and whether forensic evidence links the cases to the same person.