News24 | Free State children find decapitated body in flooded basement

Heidedal police and Bloemfontein Diving and Rescue Unit at the site where a woman's torso and legs were found.

Children playing in Heidedal, Free State, were left traumatised after discovering the floating body of a decapitated woman.

In a statement on Saturday, the office of the provincial police commissioner said the body was found partly submerged in water in the flooded basement of a dilapidated building.

The children had been playing next to the building, near a former nightclub.

“Two children were playing near a former nightclub when they noticed what appeared to be a body floating in the flooded basement. They immediately alerted adults, who contacted the Heidedal police,” the statement reads.

The Bloemfontein Diving and Rescue Unit was dispatched to the scene to assist in recovering the remains due to the “difficult conditions” in which the body was found, the statement continues.

“The body was discovered to be in a state of decomposition, consisting only of a torso and legs. The victim was wearing multi-coloured leggings and a single Soviet sneaker on her left foot,” the statement said.

Police are draining the water from the building to try to locate the missing arms and head of the body.

The Heidedal police are appealing to the public for information.

Police have opened an inquest.

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