St Francis Bay elderly man died from suffocation, postmortem reveals

The elderly St Francis Bay man, who was killed during a robbery last week, died of suffocation as a result of a cloth being shoved into his mouth.

Duncan Lethbridge, 76, was found dead on the living room floor of his Sardinia Road home on Thursday. 

His wife Cathy, 71, was held captive in the bedroom and their housekeeper in the kitchen during the robbery.

Following the release of the postmortem on Tuesday, police said the cause of death was suffocation.

This comes after police arrested a 35-year-old St Francis Bay man at a house in Bureau Street, Humansdorp on Monday.

Police spokesperson Captain Gerda Swart said the suffocation happened as a result of a cloth being placed in Lethbridge's mouth and sellotape placed over it.

Swart said progress in the case had been made and that the original number of two robbers thought to be involved had increased to three or more.

The arrest comes after a tip-off to police.

"The suspect will face charges of house robbery and murder. More arrests are expected soon," she said.

The men stole money from a safe as well as other valuables.

Swart confirmed none of the items had yet been recovered. 

The suspect will appear in the Humandorp Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday, she said.