RIP | Search for missing teacher ends in tragedy

The search for missing Free State teacher Gert Adams has ended in tragedy after police divers recovered his body from a water pan in Welkom.

Adams, 55, disappeared on 4 October following a suspected kidnapping and carjacking.

His family identified his body on Friday, 30 October, a day after police recovered it from Klippan, near the Steyn 1 mining area.

Fisherman makes grim discovery

Free State police spokesperson Sergeant Palesa Thabana said a fisherman alerted police at approximately 11:35 on Thursday after noticing a foul smell and spotting a body floating in the water.

Officers called in the Bloemfontein Diving Unit, which retrieved the body.

Emergency medical personnel pronounced the man dead at the scene.

Police confirmed that Adams still had his vehicle keys in his pocket.

Chilling call before disappearance

Adams allegedly disappeared after unknown suspects forcibly took him at approximately 23:30 on Sunday, 4 October.

He managed to telephone his wife, but the call ended abruptly.

Two days later, police recovered his grey Hyundai ix35 from Klippan. His cellphone and other belongings were inside the vehicle.

The Welkom Serious and Violent Crimes Unit opened a carjacking and kidnapping investigation following his disappearance.

Police have now registered an inquest to establish the circumstances surrounding his death.