Police have recovered two bodies, believed to be that of a missing Stellenbosch couple.
The search for Ethan Kirkland and Leila Lees began over the weekend, after the couple was last seen on Friday.
Authorities say they were last spotted driving in Kirkland’s maroon Subaru Forester.
According to police, they were reported missing after one of them failed to report to work on Saturday.
Leila Lees (left) and Ethan Kirkland (right) are believed to have been missing since Friday, 21 October 2022. Image: Facebook/South African Police Service
It’s said that a community member noticed an object in a quarry on the corner of Bird and Paul Kruger Street on Monday morning, and alerted police to it.
The police’s Joseph Swartbooi says authorities in Stellenbosch noticed the wheels of a vehicle there.
“The police requested the assistance of SAPS Provincial Diving unit and upon arrival at the scene, after assessing the circumstances, they retrieved the bodies of the two victims [a male and a female] from the motor vehicle. Both victims were declared deceased on the scene by the medical personnel.”
Police are yet to confirm the identity of the bodies found, but it’s widely believed to be that of Kirkland and Lees.
Police have confirmed that an inquest has been registered for further investigation.
– Joseph Swartbooi, Western Cape Police spokesperson
