A British couple who went missing in South Africa in 2018 during a camping trip were murdered and fed to crocodiles, police say, according to the New York Post.
Rod Saunders, aged 74, was a horticulturist. His wife, Dr. Rachel Saunders 63, was a microbiologist. They were camping in Ngoye Forest Reserve 30 miles north from Durban. When they vanished, the New York Post reported.
The couple, who owned a seed shop in Cape Town and specialized in sending seeds for plants to customers around the world, would often trek the Rainbow Nation’s vast diverse remote rural areas and parks for specimens, The Windsor Star reported.
The New York Post reported that on February 8, 2018, they were last heard about after they revealed to an employee that they planned to camp in Ngoye Forest Reserve.
They were reported missing two days later on February 10th, and police now believe that this is when they were killed by four locals. The Independent reported.
Later, four people were taken into custody. According to reports, the suspects kidnapped the couple and then murdered them on February 10, according cops.
Text messages between the suspects that allegedly say that there was an elderly couple in the remote area that were a “target”You can find out more about a “hunt,” is among the police’s evidence. Another text message says, “it is very important that the body of the victims is never found,”The Post reported.
According to the New York Post, cops believe that Sayefundeen Alam Del Vecchio and his wife, Bibi Fatima, were known for flying an Islamic State flag from their home. They were also on a national watchlist.
One of suspects admitted to covering the bodies with a sleeping bag and throwing them in the river, Cops said, as reported by the New York Post.
According to the Windsor Star, cops claim that the couple was then fed to crocodiles.
The couple’s bodies, later found by fishermen, were so badly decomposed and eaten that it took months to identify the remains through DNA tests, the Windsor Star reported.
The suspects were seen in Durban High Court this week. They have stated that they are innocent of any crime.
Before their murder, the couple was featured on BBC’s series. “Gardeners’ World,” The Independent reported.
The couple last known photo was a selfie taken by Nick Bailey on February 8, 2018, which was also the last day they were in touch with one another.