Phoenix, KwaZulu-Natal – An 80-year-old woman was murdered and her 60-year-old daughter critically injured in a gruesome attack at their home in Hexham, Phoenix on Monday evening.
According to a statement by Reaction Unit South Africa (RUSA), the victims were discovered in pools of blood inside their home by a male relative who had returned to the residence around 6:45pm.
After finding the door locked and receiving no response from inside, the man forced entry and found his mother and wife severely wounded in the passage.
RUSA said its Phoenix Operations Centre received multiple emergency calls from concerned neighbours who heard the man crying for help. Reaction officers and paramedics were dispatched to the scene and arrived shortly thereafter.
“The Pensioner was pronounced deceased upon examination. She sustained multiple stab wounds to her face and body. Her daughter’s throat was slit and she sustained large stab wounds to both her cheeks, neck and hands.
“She bled extensively from her injuries. Paramedics stabilised her on scene before rapidly transporting her to hospital by ambulance,” said RUSA.
Investigators recovered a large bloodstained butcher knife and a second smaller knife, which appeared to have bent during the attack. The identity of the attacker has not been confirmed, and the woman’s son, who was reportedly unaccounted for at the time, could not be located.
Police have opened a case of murder and attempted murder.
The motive behind the attack remains unclear, and investigations are ongoing.
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Picture: Facebook/Reaction Unit South Africa
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Compiled by Betha Madhomu
