Police in South Africa are investigating whether nine women found dead in the Ekurhuleni municipality east of Johannesburg over the past two months were killed by the same person or by multiple offenders.
The latest body was discovered on Thursday near a construction site by a passerby. The woman appeared to be around 30 years old. Police said she had been stabbed and beaten, and was partially naked. She had a stab wound to her side and her throat appeared to have been cut.
All nine victims were women in their 20s or 30s. Each was found naked or partly clothed, and some had similar bruising. Police said the similarities among the first eight deaths were "sufficiently concerning for the police to issue a public warning".
However, investigators have yet to establish whether the deaths are connected or whether a serial murderer is involved. Deputy police chief Tebello Mosikili said on Thursday that detectives would examine whether the latest death was linked to the earlier murders, or whether a copycat killer could be active.
The first known victim was found on 17 July. Eight further bodies have been recovered in the Ekurhuleni area since then. Bodies were found in August and September at several locations, including Kempton Park, Oliffontein, Clayville and KwaThema.
Five of the nine bodies were discovered within four days this week. The first five victims were found in or around Kempton Park, on the outskirts of Johannesburg. Other victims were recovered from separate sites between 25 kilometers and 35 kilometers away.
Ekurhuleni is immediately east of Johannesburg in Gauteng province. The bodies have been found across several communities in the municipality, including Kempton Park, Pomona, Clayville, Olifantsfontein, Rhodesfield, KwaThema and Dawn Park.
A suspect was arrested two days after the first body was discovered and remains in custody in connection with that case. Police have not tied that person to the other deaths.
Police have assembled a multidisciplinary team of detectives, intelligence personnel, forensic specialists and other experts. The force's Investigative Psychology Unit, which deals with complex cases involving serial violent crime, is also taking part.
Authorities have offered a reward of 400,000 rand (about $25,000 or €21,400) for information leading to an arrest. A lockdown has been imposed in Kempton Park, and police have set up roadblocks after three bodies were found in recent days.
Gauteng province premier Panyaza Lesufi said Thursday that "someone has declared war against us, and we will push back, we are not going to surrender". President Cyril Ramaphosa said that "no stone will be left unturned" to solve the crimes.
Police have not identified the ninth victim or confirmed her official cause of death. They have also given no details of current leads or any other persons of interest.
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