Search in Herolds Bay for missing mom and two children to continue

The search for a missing mother and her two children is to resume in Herolds Bay near George on Thursday morning.

The search was initially launched after Heidi Scheepers, 35, took her daughter, 6, and son, 2, to Herolds Bay for a walk on the beach at about 6pm on Tuesday — but failed to return.

Southern Cape police spokesperson Captain Malcolm Pojie said police divers withdrew from the sea on Wednesday afternoon due to rough seas and bad weather.

Police confirmed an on-site meeting was held between rescue workers to determine how to proceed with the search..

Parts of a car — believed to be theirs — were found at the bottom of a cliff, near the dangerous fishing and picnic spot Voëlklip, on the outskirts of the town.

Rescuers abseiled down the 100m cliff face but were unable to recover any of the vehicle parts.

It was initially feared they had been abducted, with police in the Eastern and Western Cape placed on alert.

Heidi's husband, Ettienne, 36, had gone with them to the beach but had left on foot to check on some of his businesses.

The couple owns the Herolds Bay Cafe and run the Garden Route Property Management group.

After Heidi and the children failed to return home, social media posts asking for help in finding them went viral.

Police, rescue workers, and residents joined the search, covering a large area of the town and surrounding suburbs, all the way to George.

A rescue helicopter was deployed on Wednesday and the National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI) arrived to help after someone spotted parts of what appeared to be a VW Caravelle door — the same colour as the missing vehicle — at the bottom of the steep cliff.