Kempton Park Killings: Criminologist Says Killings Could Be the Work of a Serial Killer
- A criminologist has weighed in on the deaths of four women found near Kempton Park between July and September 2026
- Professor Nirmala Gopal pointed to key similarities across the cases, including location, gender of victims, and the condition of the bodies
- SAPS has stopped short of declaring a serial killer is at large, while a search for a missing runner in the same area continues
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SOUTH AFRICA — Criminologist Professor Nirmala Gopal says the pattern of killings involving four women in Kempton Park is consistent with the work of a single perpetrator, even as police urge caution against drawing premature conclusions.
Speaking to Newzroom Afrika, Gopal said profiling principles point toward one individual.
"From a profiling perspective, the similarities, the location and the fact that they are all women, marks on their bodies and they were half naked demonstrate the hallmarks of a single perpetrator," she said.
Similarities point to one suspect, says Gopal
Gopal noted that while the perpetrator linked to the first crime has reportedly been arrested, she did not rule out the possibility of a syndicate, though she said she leaned away from that theory.
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"I would move toward more a serial killer than a syndicate," she said, adding that the question of syndicate involvement should ultimately be left to investigators.
She also suggested that SAPS may have strategic reasons for not publicly naming a serial killer, including the possibility of not alerting the suspect.
SAPS cautions against linking the 4 deaths
Major General Fred Kekana confirmed that the fourth body, discovered on 12 September 2026 in Rhodesfield at the back of a hotel, is that of a 38-year-old woman whose identity is still awaiting formal confirmation through the mortuary identification process.
"While there are similarities in some of the circumstances surrounding the cases, it would be premature at this stage to conclude that the four cases are linked or that they involve one perpetrator. Our responsibility is to establish the facts through evidence," Kekana said.
The first victim, a 37-year-old woman, was found near the R21 on 15 July 2026. She was naked and had been restrained with cable ties. A 32-year-old woman was found near the same road on 24 August 2026, partially clothed. A third body, that of an unidentified woman in an advanced state of decomposition, was found naked on 10 September 2026. The fourth woman, aged 38, was discovered two days later wearing sports clothing and was partially clothed.
Kempton park runner missing
Separately,Briefly News reported on the missinng Kempton Park runner, 38-year-old Elizabeth Mokolo Moselakgomo, who has been missig for 5 days. Moselakgomo went missing after heading out for an afternoon run in Kempton Park on 9 September 2026.Her family been unable to confirm whether a woman's body discovered on Saturday 12 September 2026 is that of their loved one, with a formal identification scheduled for Monday 14 September at the Germiston mortuary.
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Source: Briefly News
