News24.com | PICS | Cops find human remains at Klawer man’s house while looking for missing 13-year-old boy

A 13-year-old boy has disappeared after a car allegedly knocked him over.

• A man has been arrested for murder after police found human remains on his premises while searching for a missing teenage boy.
• Police said the remains were discovered in a sewerage pipe on the premises.
• The identity of the missing person whose remains were found remain unknown.

A 56-year-old man from Klawer in the Western Cape has been arrested for murder after police found human remains on his premises while they were looking for a missing 13-year-old boy.

Western Cape police spokesperson Colonel André Traut said the remains were discovered in a sewerage pipe on the premises.

The identity of the person whose remains were found has not yet been established.

Traut said the boy is still considered missing and that the murder charge relates to the discovery of the human remains.

“Our investigation into the disappearance of a 13-year-old boy led to the arrest of a 56-year-old man in Klawer on a charge of kidnapping on Thursday. 

“The body of the victim is yet to be found and it is too soon to speculate on the identity of the remains that were found.”

Traut added that police investigations were ongoing and forensic experts were in the process of examining the crime scene in search of more leads.

“The charge has since been changed to murder and the suspect is expected to make his court appearance in Klawer on Monday,” Traut said.

‘Up in arms’

One of the residents, Billy Claasen, said the man had been detained in the Klawer Police Station holding cells.

“The community is up in arms around the police station and the man’s house. This can cause huge racial tension if not handled correctly,” Claasen added.

He said the boy’s mother went to the police station on two occasions and was sent home without any help. 

READ | Body of missing Free State teen found, stabbed, half naked

According to local ward councillor Jan Koopman, the community had been searching for the boy since Wednesday.

“The police told us that the man is refusing to speak to them without the presence of his lawyer,” Koopman said.

Traut could not speculate on what residents had to say about what happened before the boy’s disappearance, but it is alleged that he went missing after a car knocked him over on Wednesday.

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