KARIBIB – “I don’t know why he was killed. But why did they have to chop him like an animal?” These were the words of 37-year-old Rieta Seibes, who at the weekend opened up about the devastating loss of her six-year-old son Adrian Myne Oswyn, whose dismembered body parts were discovered in a sewage pond at the town last week.
“I knew it was him. I recognised him by his eyelashes, ears and his head,” Seibes told New Era from their Harambee location abode in Karibib.
The athletic little boy, who recently lost his father and came back from the north to Karibib, went missing on 4 October after being walked halfway by his grandfather.
His dismembered body parts were found days later floating on the sewage dam, about 1.2 kilometres from the Harambee location where both his mother and grandfather lived.
Seibes, who is employed as a chef at a local supermarket, described her son as her miracle, a bubbly little boy who dreamt of becoming an athlete like legendary sprinter Frank Fredricks, and did not deserve to be robbed of his precious life. “He had dreams, just like I did for him… and now he is gone.
They could have killed him, but why did they have to chop him like that? He did not deserve it,” an inconsolable Seibes lamented. “He was just a child, my child, and I want the person who did this to hand themselves over to the police.” Narrating the tragic events leading up to his death, the sombre-looking Seibes, supported by her mother Rut Seibes, said sleeping over or staying at his grandfather’s home was normal for Oswyn.
According to Seibes, he initially left with his grandfather on Sunday evening, and came back early on Monday morning. He left again on Monday to his grandfather’s home.
Sadly, that would be the last day she saw her son alive as he walked the about 300-metre gravel road between the tiny shacks to his grandfather’s home. “On Tuesday, I sent a text to my father so that Oswyn could come back. I did not receive a reply, but also did not think anything of it as it was also not unusual for him to stay that long with my father. We also did not have electricity in the area, hence it was normal that my father’s phone is off sometimes. It was, however, odd that he did not run back and forth as he usually does,” she added. Seibes, who was working the afternoon shift on Friday, got a bit worried and decided to send her partner to take clothes to the grandfather’s house for Oswyn, and also to check up on him as she was also working the whole weekend. “My partner came back, saying Oswyn already left my father’s house on Tuesday. That is when I started to get worried and started searching, and also went to the police to report him missing. I so much hoped that he was alive, but it was unlike him to stay away that long from home,” the heartbroken mother recalled. The grandfather was not home when New Era got to his house, which was still cordoned off by the police.
Nightmare became real
Seibes further narrated that her dreams to find him alive were dashed when she was called by the police last week Monday. “I was happy, thinking that he was found. Little did I know that they were about to counsel me. I told them I would accept his death as long as they can bring him back to me so that I can lay him to rest. To my horror, they told me that only some body parts were found at the sewage dam,” she said while battling to hold back her tears. Seibes was brought in for a second time when the remaining body parts were found, and identified him along with her mother. Community activist Clarence Geingob, who spearheaded the search along with the police, also said they were hoping to find the little boy alive. He added that residents, guided by the police, including the K9 anti-poaching and security unit, tirelessly searched the area looking for Oswyn. According to him, they initially thought that he got lost, and might be dehydrated in the nearby bushes. “On Monday, we saw a maize meal bag floating on one of the sewage ponds, and directed the crowd in another direction as Oswyn’s family were also searching along,” he said. Geingob added that the police opened the bag, and found what seemed like human limbs in it. “It was really a sad moment, as we were hoping to find him alive. However, his death should not be in vain. We must find the killers, and I am appealing to the community to help the police in getting justice for Oswyn,” he stressed. The sewage pond was drained on Friday. Police also found what appeared to be another piece of evidence – a bloodstained cloth at the pond. Meanwhile, Karibib constituency councillor Melania Ndjago has described the murder as senseless and a shock for the quiet and close-knit Karibib community. “This is indeed a very sad day for the entire caring and peace-loving residents of Karibib. I, therefore, extend our heartfelt condolences to his mother and his family in this time of grief on behalf of the Karibib community. I am also appealing to the community to help the police with any information so that Oswyn gets the justice he deserves,” she appealed. Erongo regional police commander Nikolaus Kupembona yesterday said no arrests have been made yet, and that the police are still analysing all evidence collected so far. “The community needs to help us solve his murder. They can also leave anonymous tips that will help us in solving the case,” he urged. Those with information can contact Kupembona at 081292 9295 or deputy commissioner Erastus Iikuyu at 0812464757.
edeklerk@nepc.com.na