Couple missing, four held as drone finds daughter's body in Hartswater

The body of one of the missing women of the Brand family was found with the help of a drone in a veld early on Tuesday morning.

A massive search was launched after the disappearance of Danie Brand, 83, his wife Breggie, 73, and their daughter, Elzabie, 54, who had visited her parents at the weekend.

The elderly couple and their daughter went missing after they were allegedly attacked on their smallholding in Hartswater, Northern Cape, on Sunday.

AfriForum’s national spokesperson Marius Muller told TimesLIVE a family member who went to the couple’s home became suspicious after finding the house in a chaotic state.

Muller said blood stains were found in the house and their vehicles were missing.

After a search, Danie’s Nissan Micra was found close to Taung in North West and Elzabie's silver Mazda was found on the N18 close to Pudimoe after 11pm on Monday.

National police spokesperson Brig Vishnu Naidoo confirmed that three suspects were initially arrested, a 42-year-old woman and two males aged 18 and 19. He added that police had just arrested a fourth suspect aged 20.

The three suspects were arrested after they were found in possession of the stolen vehicle. The car was being driven by the woman, Naidoo said.

Naidoo said the search for the parents was continuing.

According to Muller, one of the suspects told police and the community forum that he would show them where to find one of the bodies.

“In the meantime we requested a drone pilot and his co-pilot to come from Vryburg to help the police. I think they were flying the drone for about an hour when they found the body.

“The suspect told the police he would show them where the other two bodies were. The suspect said the bodies were hanging from a tree in the veld, but the drone pilot couldn’t find anything,” he said.

-TimesLIVE