No Arrests Made as Police Probe 2 Deaths at Sabie Lodge After Murder Inquiry Opens

• Mpumalanga police confirmed a murder investigation is underway alongside an inquest into the deaths of two young men at a Sabie lodge
• Preliminary post-mortem results indicated that 17-year-old Cameron Waldeck-Cooks died from strangulation and suffocation on 3 August
• An independent forensic pathologist appointed by the Waldeck-Cooks family supported the preliminary strangulation findings

MPUMALANGA — Police have made no arrests in connection with the deaths of 17-year-old Cameron Waldeck-Cooks and 19-year-old Ethan Coetzee at a Sabie lodge, with the murder investigation remaining active and ongoing.

According to The South African, Mpumalanga police spokesperson Colonel Mavela Masondo confirmed that authorities opened both a murder case and an inquest following the incident. Waldeck-Cooks, a learner at St Stithians College, died on 3 August during a hiking trip undertaken as part of The President's Award programme.

Preliminary post-mortem points to strangulation

Preliminary post-mortem findings indicated that Waldeck-Cooks died as a result of strangulation and suffocation. A separate independent forensic pathologist, appointed by the Waldeck-Cooks family, reviewed the findings and reached the same conclusion. In the case of Coetzee, preliminary findings suggest his death was self-inflicted, though no suspect has been formally charged or legally identified in connection with the crime.

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Families dispute circumstances surrounding the deaths

Waldeck-Cooks' brother publicly accused Coetzee of being responsible for the death, a claim that Coetzee's family strongly disputed. Law enforcement has not verified any of the public claims or allegations circulating about the relationship between the two or the events that led up to the incident.

St Stithians College paid tribute to Waldeck-Cooks, describing him as an accomplished rower, while declining to issue further public comment given the active investigation. The Waldeck-Cooks family urged members of the public not to treat unverified reports as established fact while formal police and forensic processes remain underway.

View the school's tribute to him on Facebook:

Drug link in St Stithians death probed

In a related article, Briefly News reported on the tragic deaths of Cameron Waldeck-Cooks and Ethan Coetzee, found at a holiday home outside Sabie, Mpumalanga. The investigation, which includes a suspected drug link, continues while the community mourns the loss of a promising athlete and her classmate.

Source: Briefly News