Kempton Park murders: Profiler warns of possible serial killer

A former SAPS profiler has urged investigators to treat the deaths of eight women across Ekurhuleni as a possible serial-murder case while they test whether the killings are connected.

Investigative forensic psychologist Professor Gérard Labuschagne said the geographical concentration of the cases, the timeframe and similarities between some of the victims give police enough reason to investigate possible links from the outset. 

Police are investigating eight women’s deaths after officers found bodies in areas including Kempton Park, Olifantsfontein, Clayville and Kwa-Thema over the past two months. Authorities have not established whether one person, several offenders or unrelated circumstances link the cases. 

PROFILER SAYS POLICE SHOULD TEST SERIAL-MURDER POSSIBILITY

Labuschagne previously headed the SAPS Investigative Psychology Section and has extensive experience investigating serial murders.

He said investigators should treat the deaths as potentially connected until evidence points them in another direction.

In a recent interview, Labuschagne said police should pay particular attention when they find victims with similar profiles within a relatively small geographical area and over a limited period.

Those similarities do not prove that one offender killed the women, but they can provide an early warning that investigators need to compare the cases closely. 

Labuschagne stressed that he has not joined the current investigation and does not have access to all the evidence police have gathered.

He therefore cannot conclude that a serial killer murdered the women.

WHAT WOULD LINK THE KILLINGS?

Investigators need evidence to establish whether the same offender committed two or more of the murders.

Labuschagne said DNA and other forensic evidence could provide some of the strongest links between cases.

Detectives can also compare the victims, injuries, crime scenes, locations and circumstances surrounding each death while they wait for forensic results.

Behavioural similarities can help police identify patterns, but investigators still need evidence before they can formally connect the crimes. 

The timing also matters.

Police may not have found the bodies in the same order in which the women died. Investigators therefore need to establish each victim’s likely time of death before they can build an accurate timeline.

DEDICATED TEAM COULD HELP INVESTIGATION

Labuschagne said SAPS procedures for suspected serial murders allow police to bring experienced investigators and specialists together under a dedicated investigation.

That approach could include members of the Investigative Psychology Section, forensic specialists, victim-identification experts and detectives with experience in serial-murder cases.

He argued that the approach could strengthen the investigation even if police eventually establish that different offenders killed the women.

A dedicated team can compare evidence across the cases instead of investigating each death completely separately. 

Police have already assembled a multidisciplinary team and increased law-enforcement resources in Ekurhuleni as the investigation widens. 

POLICE HAVE NOT CONFIRMED A SERIAL KILLER

SAPS has repeatedly cautioned the public against declaring the killings the work of a serial killer before investigators establish a link.

Police are examining possible connections between the eight deaths but have not attributed them to one offender. 

The clustering of the cases has nevertheless fuelled fear across Ekurhuleni, particularly after police added more women’s deaths to the investigation.

Labuschagne said investigators should focus on establishing those links rather than becoming fixated on the label “serial killer”.