“The SAPS Provincial Diving unit, on request of the police, assisted and retrieved the bodies of the two victims from the motor vehicle.” Warrant Officer, Joseph Swartbooi
The Teenage couple’s car was found at the bottom of Quarry in Stellenbosch on the bottom of Paul Kruger and Bird Street in Stellenbosch on Monday morning, 24 October 2022.
The cause of the accident is still unknown at this stage but paramedics seen retrieving the bodies.
Friends and family of Stellenbosch couple, Ethan Kirkland, 19 and Leila Lees, 18, went looking for them after they were reported missing on Friday evening.
WATCH | Search continues for missing Stellenbosch couple, police divers to explore marsh
The couple was last seen driving in Kirkland’s maroon Subaru Forster, which has a CA 280247 registration number, according to Colonel Andre Traut, the police spokesperson.
A close friend of the couple, Rocco Elijah, said there is a footage of the vehicle in around Stellenbosch. In the footage, the car was last captured in Bosman Street at 23:45.
It appeared that they vanished from the radar after that, he added.
“But honestly, we have no clue what happened to them. We are trying to ascertain the route they took and narrow it down to specific areas,” Elijah said at the time.
Elijah described the couple as warm and caring.
“They are young and very energetic fun people and are always smiling and have very bubbly personalities. I only met Ethan around February or March this year when he moved into my building. I met Laila this year and have known her family since October 2021.”
Elijah said he spent most of the time with the couple and even when out with them for coffee.
“I saw Ethan everyday and Laila every other day. I would go out with them for coffee.”
He pointed out there weren’t safety issue around Stellenbosch: “You avoid certain areas and streets. As far as I know, they didn’t go anywhere dodgy.
Source: News24, The South African, SAPS, Facebook, image from Twitter: @SA_Mum