Peter Luhanga
- Autopsy and toxicology results still outstanding
- Police confirm man under scrutiny has been cleared
- Inquest remains open
The death of a woman in Newlands informal settlement, Dunoon, remains under inquest as police await toxicology results, with officers confirming that a man previously scrutinised has now been cleared.
Table View police spokesperson Captain Adriana Chandler told Iliso Labantu News on Monday 8 September that the official autopsy and toxicology reports could take months to finalise and are still outstanding.
She said the man who was initially the subject of suspicion had been cleared by the investigation. “Yes, he has been cleared,” Chandler said.
Chandler added there was nothing further SAPS could share at this stage.
The woman collapsed and died on 4 August after drinking Old Buck gin purchased from a local shebeen. Her death sparked false claims on Facebook that she had been raped and strangled. Police and forensic pathologists have repeatedly stated there were no visible injuries and no signs of foul play.
Iliso Labantu News first reported on the case in its mid-month edition of 12 August. At the time, police dismissed the social media allegations as unfounded, with forensic pathologists confirming no foul play suspected following the post-mortem.
The inquest remains open while investigators wait for final pathology results.
Sidebar
FACT CHECK: STATUS OF NEWLANDS DEATH
- The claim: A woman was raped and murdered in Newlands on 4 August.
- The facts: Police say autopsy and toxicology reports are pending, but no signs of foul play were found at the scene or during the initial examination. A man once under scrutiny has been cleared.
- The status: Inquest remains open, with toxicology findings still outstanding.