JOHANNESBURG (AP) — The discovery of the bodies of nine women in the same area on the outskirts of South Africa's biggest city, Johannesburg, in the last two months have prompted police to investigate if the killings are linked and being carried out by the same person.
Police say that the proximity of where the bodies were found and other similarities are sufficiently concerning to investigate if the killings were possibly carried out by a serial killer.
The discoveries of the victims in the Ekurhuleni municipality east of Johannesburg have shocked a country already used to high levels of violence against women.
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has called for the investigation to be prioritized.
Here's what to know about the killings and the investigation:
Gauteng provincial police commissioner Fred Kekana said investigators are examining whether the cases are linked, but warned against prematurely describing the killings as the work of one perpetrator or a serial killer.
“Investigators are considering all possibilities, including the possibility of multiple suspects or separate perpetrators,” he said. “Police are comparing the evidence, timelines, locations, victim profiles and circumstances of each case before reaching conclusions.”
However, he said that the similarities in the cases were concerning.
The first five bodies were discovered in or near the town of Kempton Park on the outskirts of Johannesburg. The others were found in separate locations between 25 kilometers (15 miles) and 35 kilometers (21 miles) away.
Some of the bodies were discovered in open areas near major roads. Police say the killings may have taken place in different locations to where the bodies were found. The last five bodies were discovered in the space of four days this week.
“While investigations are still underway and (the South African Police Service) has not, at this stage, confirmed that the deaths are linked to a serial killer, the similarities are sufficiently concerning for the police to issue a public warning and intensify investigations,” said Kekana.
Detectives from the Investigative Psychology Unit, which investigates complex serial violent crimes, are part of the investigation team.
By Thursday, police said there were a total of nine victims whose killings might be linked. All were women in their 20s or 30s and all were found either naked or partially clothed, police said. Some of the bodies had similar bruising.
The first body was discovered on July 17, naked and restrained with cable ties. A suspect believed to have been the victim's boyfriend was arrested and taken into custody, according to police, though no charges have been issued against him.
One of the other victims was identified as 38-year-old Elizabeth “Tsontso” Moselakgomo, who went missing while out jogging.
She was reported missing after her 8-year-old daughter alerted family members that she had not returned from her daily afternoon jog, and she was found dead several days later. Another body was found naked and in an advanced stage of decomposition, authorities said.
The youngest victim has been identified as a 20-year-old woman.
Police have appealed to the public for help and offered a reward of $25,000 for information leading to the apprehending of the perpetrator or perpetrators.
They have also urged women in the area to be extremely cautious and not go out alone, and have deployed extra officers to the area.
The killings have highlighted the high rates of femicide and violent crime in South Africa and sparked a renewed outcry over the safety of women.
Between April and July this year, the country recorded 5,427 homicides, which is an average of about 45 per day, according to crime statistics.
Femicide rates in South Africa are among the highest in the world, according to the United Nations' agency for gender equality.
A study in 2022 by a South African think tank found that more than 35% of South African adult women had experienced physical or sexual violence at some point.
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AP writer Gerald Imray in Cape Town, South Africa, contributed to this report.
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