Missing Boksburg Pair: Residents Horrified After Bodies Found in Shallow Grave Under House
- The bodies of Jessica Rabe, 20, and Yudistan Pillay, 25, were recovered from a property in Wildevy Crescent after weeks of searching
- Three suspects were arrested in connection with the murders and were expected to appear in the Boksburg Magistrate's Court
- Neighbours revealed they noticed strange activity at the property, including late-night digging and the smell of burning plastic
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GAUTENG — Two young people reported missing in late July were found partially buried beneath the foundations of a residential property in Van Dyk Park, east of Johannesburg, leaving the surrounding community in shock.
Jessica Rabe, 20, and Yudistan Pillay, 25, were discovered on Sunday, 30 August 2026, at a house in Wildevy Crescent. Their disappearance had been reported to Dawn Park SAPS on 27 July. Before the pair vanished, Rabe was reportedly assaulted and had her cellphone stolen.
Weeks of searching led to breakthrough
According to the Boksburg Advertiser, for weeks, the families of the two missing individuals searched alongside community organisations, including Wendy Pascoe of Pascoe Investigations and Missing in Southern Africa, the Van Dyk Park Community Patrollers Initiative, and Boksburg 911. A tip-off on 28 August directed investigators to the Wildevy Crescent property. Two days of searching followed before the remains were uncovered beneath the house's foundations.
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Three suspects were subsequently arrested in connection with the murders and were expected to make their first court appearance at the Boksburg Magistrate's Court on Tuesday, 1 September 2026.
Residents recounted disturbing signs
When reporters visited the property on 1 September, the entrance gate was poorly secured and there was little evidence of a police cordon. SAPS Gauteng spokesperson Colonel Dimakatso Nevhuhulwi confirmed the site was no longer treated as an active crime scene.
Neighbours described knowing little about the occupants, who had reportedly moved into the rental property around April or May. Several said police vehicles had been spotted arriving at the house late at night, which discouraged residents from becoming involved.
One resident recalled detecting what seemed to be the smell of burning plastic coming from the property. Another said they heard what sounded like digging one evening but chose not to investigate.
The scale of the discovery has profoundly unsettled the neighbourhood.
"I always said I would never live near a graveyard, not for a moment thinking that one was on our doorstep," one resident said.
The investigation into the murders of Rabe and Pillay is ongoing.
Missing Mpumalaga woman found in shallow grave
Briefly News also reported that a woman who went missing in Mpumalanga was found dead in a shallow grave a week after her disappearance. Bonisiwe Mabuza went missing, and her car was found abandoned. The South African Police Service suspected she was also a house robbery victim.Three men were arrested for the gruesome murder, and South Africans were hurt and angry that another woman died.
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Source: Briefly News
