Body found hidden in partially dug Motherwell grave

The body of an unidentified man was found buried in a partially dug grave in the Motherwell Cemetery on Wednesday morning.

A worker at the cemetery found that one of the graves he had partially dug on Tuesday had been filled with soil on Wednesday morning.

Police spokesperson Captain Andre Beetge said the staff member had dug up the soil and found the body.

“The police were alerted and removed the body from the grave,” he said.

“The identity of the person is unknown at this stage and there were no valuables on him.”

Beetge said the man had no open wounds but he was bruised and detectives had opted to open a murder case.

“It is suspected he was murdered somewhere else and then buried in the cemetery in an attempt to hide the body.

“The state of decomposition suggests the man  had been killed this week.

“We are awaiting a postmortem report to determine the exact cause of death. This will assist us in determining what transpired,” Beetge said.