Fosaville serial killer
The Fosaville serial killer is an unidentified serial killer who murdered 13 women between 1999 and 2003 in Newlands West, an area near Durban, South Africa.[1]
Fosaville serial killer | |
|---|---|
| Other names | Newlands serial killer Durban's Killing Fields |
| Years active | 1999–2003 |
| Details | |
| Victims | 13 |
| Country | South Africa |
Date apprehended | N/A |
Murders
In March of 2002, the skeletal remains of a woman were found in a secluded area in Newlands West, an area near the city of Durban, South Africa.[2] No more victims were discovered until 2003, when locals burnt an overgrown field to make room for housing.[3]
In August of 2003, police found the body of a woman aged 20 to 30. Police searched the area for evidence and discovered four more bodies. Three of the victims were skeletonized, and formed a triangle. The other victim was partially decomposed. All of the women were half-dressed, face down, and had a plastic bag on their heads. Their hands were also bound behind their backs.[4] Two days later, two more bodies were found by police nearby.[5]
Two weeks later, on August 23, 2003, people stumbled upon the body of another woman not far from where the previous six were found.[6] On the following day, police discovered the remains of three more women. One of the victims was in an advanced stage of decomposition.[5] A few days later, on August 27, 2003, the authorities found another victim while conducting a K9 search of the area.[7]
The victims were found in Fosaville, an area just outside of Durban in Newlands West.
All of the victims were strangled to death, half-dressed, and had their hands bound behind their backs.[3] It's believed that the victims were murdered where they were discovered as opposed to being dumped there postmortem.[1]
Investigation
The perpetrator is believed to be intelligent, charismatic, and appears trustworthy to his victims. Some have theorized that he lures his victims to secluded places by promising them employment.[1]
Due to the victims being heavily decomposed, they could not be identified. Locals informed the authorities of missing relatives, but it was futile. In 2006, a composite sketch was made of each victim, but that also didn't help to identify the women.[8]
There is a possibility that the serial killer could be "Riverman," another unidentified serial killer who murdered 13 women in the Greenwood Park area from 1999 to 2001.[1] Others think the perpetrator died.[8] However, it would be difficult to identify the serial killer because the investigators never recovered his DNA.[8]
References
- "Who is the Newlands serial killer?". www.iol.co.za. 2003-11-01. Archived from the original on 2022-07-11. Retrieved 2022-07-11.
- "Serial killer: Four more victims". News24. 2003-05-24. Archived from the original on 2022-07-11. Retrieved 2022-07-11.
- Hall, Susan (2021). The World Encyclopedia of Serial Killers, Volume Four T-Z. WildBlue Press. p. 252.
- Mthembu, Bongani (2003-08-11). "Grisly discoveries point to serial killer". www.iol.co.za. Retrieved 2022-07-11.
- Singh, Anil (2003-08-11). "Skeletons found in Durban's 'killing fields'". www.iol.co.za. Retrieved 2022-07-11.
- Tibbatts, Emily (2003-08-25). "Nouvelles victimes du tueur de Durban". TUEURS EN SERIE.org (in French). Archived from the original on 2021-04-26. Retrieved 2022-07-11.
- "Serial killer count rising". News24. 2003-08-27. Archived from the original on 2022-07-11. Retrieved 2022-07-11.
- Maughan, Karyn (2007-05-01). "Murdered by serial killers, buried as paupers". www.iol.co.za. Archived from the original on 2022-07-11. Retrieved 2022-07-11.