WINDHOEK - Police in Hardap Region were yesterday busy investigating the senseless killing of a 57-year-old woman whose decapitated foot was discovered late Tuesday afternoon along the Bahnhof-Dordabis road.

A 14-year-old boy was arrested yesterday in connection with the heinous crime, with police confirming that the victim’s body was also discovered yesterday afternoon in the area where the foot was found.

According to Hardap Regional police Crime Investigation Coordinator, Deputy Commissioner Eric Clay, the teenage boy and the woman are not related but the boy was a regular visitor to the victim’s family farm.
New Era learnt that the murdered woman was missing since Monday afternoon.

“Police need to establish why he killed her. What was the motive?” remarked Clay, who added that they also needed to establish if the boy was attending school or not.

The suspect lived at Bahnhof, which is a small settlement in the area, about 300 to 400 metres from Aoxas farm where the victim lived.  Bahnhoff is a railway station but has a settlement where people live.

Clay said the deceased’s other body parts were found intact, with only the right foot ripped off.
On Tuesday, a foot wrapped in a plastic bag was discovered at around 17h20 along the Bahnhof-Dordabis road, about 23km from Rehoboth.

A passerby coming from a nearby farm made the gruesome discovery, police say.
The man reported the matter to the police. The scene was visited and after close inspection evidence revealed that the body part could be linked to a female body.

New Era learnt the woman left home on Monday to Bahnhof but did not return home. It is suspected she was killed while returning to the farm.

Namibian Police spokesperson Chief Inspector Kauna Shikwambi informed the media yesterday that the body of the woman was discovered in the vicinity where the foot was found. 

“One suspect was arrested and due to appear in Rehoboth Magistrate’s Court on Friday, on charges of murder, possible rape and arson (of farm house).

Clay said a case of arson was first reported before police were alerted to the discovery of the foot.  “It is in line and that is how we started to put our investigation in that direction to find out if there was no link and as we suspected it was the same person (who committed the crime). 

Clay stated that from the burnt farmhouse, police followed a foot track to Bahnhof which led to where the suspect was found.

“We are trying to put pieces together so that we can compile proper charges and prepare a docket to the court,” he told New Era.