Cameron Waldeck-Cooks Case: Police Refuse to Reveal More About Sabie Holiday Home Deaths

• Police in Mpumalanga confirmed Cameron Waldeck-Cooks (17) was murdered after autopsy results showed she was likely strangled
• Cameron's brother publicly named Ethan Coetzee (19) as her killer on Instagram, stating his sister was found with injuries to various body parts
• The Coetzee family commissioned a private autopsy, with results showing no injuries consistent with a struggle on Ethan's body

Mpumalanga police have declined to release further details about the deaths of two teenagers found in the same room at a holiday accommodation outside Sabie, citing the risk of compromising the ongoing investigation.

Colonel Mavela Masondo, police spokesperson for Mpumalanga, confirmed on Wednesday 12 August 2026 that disclosing additional information at this stage could hinder the inquiry. The statement came in response to questions from Netwerk24, more than a week after the bodies of Cameron Waldeck-Cooks, 17, and Ethan Coetzee, 19, were discovered at the Waterval Self-Catering Holiday Home.

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What happened at the Sabie holiday home

Cameron's father, Derrick Cooks, explained in a statement last week that his daughter had been travelling with two families on a five-day hiking trip in the Sabie area. He said Graeme Coetzee, Ethan's father, contacted him the previous Monday to inform him that both teenagers had been found dead in the same room.

Police initially opened two inquest dockets. However, a statement issued by Masondo on Friday changed the nature of the case:

"The autopsy results show the girl was likely strangled, and the 19-year-old man likely took his own life."

Derrick Cooks said the family had also engaged an independent forensic pathologist.

"Our preliminary findings show Cameron died due to strangulation and suffocation," he wrote.

Cameron's brother speaks out

Cameron's brother, Ethan Waldeck-Cooks, addressed the matter publicly on his Instagram page on Friday, writing:

"My sister, Cameron Waldeck-Cooks, was found dead on Sunday, 2 August. Her body lay lifeless with injuries to various body parts. She was murdered by Ethan…"

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The Coetzee family also commissioned a private forensic pathologist. In a statement sent to Netwerk24, the family said preliminary results from that autopsy showed Ethan "had no injuries consistent with a struggle."

Cameron had been a Grade 11 learner at St Stithians Girls' College in Sandton, while Ethan matriculated from St Stithians Boys' College the previous year. Masondo indicated that police would provide further comment in due course, stating:

"We will issue another statement at the appropriate time."

Ethan Coetzee's family breaks silence

Briefly News previously reported that the family of Ethan Coetzee broke their silence after preliminary post-mortem findings linked him to Cameron Waldeck-Cook's death

Cameron's brother Ethan publicly accused his sister's partner of murder in an emotional Instagram post.

Source: Briefly News