Cape Town - The search for two teenagers has ended in tragedy after the submerged vehicle they were last seen in was lifted from a quarry with the couple still inside.
First-year Bachelor of Science student at Stellenbosch University Ethan Kirkland, 19, and Leila Lees, 18, went missing on Friday.
Police said their dark red Subaru Forester had landed in a dam in Paul Kruger Street. Their bodies were retrieved from inside the vehicle on Monday morning. The pair had been dating for just two weeks.
Close friend Rocco Elijah said he grew worried about the pair on Saturday evening, prompting him to open a missing persons docket at the police station and immediately initiate a local search.
“At first, we just drove aimlessly around Stellenbosch because we didn’t have any information at that point. We had no idea where they were.
“I went to the police station, filed a missing persons report and then we just drove around Stellenbosch trying to find their car,” Elijah said.
“I knew Leila was going to a Halloween party at one of the clubs here in Stellenbosch, and I assumed Ethan would be a part of that or at some point meet up with her.”
Family and friends of Lees visited her favourite restaurant and bar in Stellenbosch, Bohemia, in remembrance of her as well as to grieve together.
Elijah lived in the area where the car was found.
“There’s this plot of land. But it has been unoccupied for a while and it’s overgrown and kind of like a swamp. That’s where we found the car, it was submerged in water,” Elijah said.
“They were very close to home, literally just one street away from home.”
Kirkland is believed to be from Centurion and was not staying at an on-campus residence. His grandmother, Brenda Quirke Carstens, was inconsolable and said her grandson’s parents were in the UK.
“I still need to speak to my son and my daughter-in-law,” she said.
Another family member, who spoke on condition of anonymity, described Kirkland as an angel and a “very kind and loving person”.
The family member said Lees was never introduced to them.
Police spokesperson Joseph Swartbooi said at 10.10am, a community member spotted an object in the dam and alerted authorities.
“Local police members responded and secured the scene, when they noticed the wheels of a motor vehicle, which was the only part of the vehicle that was visible.
“The police requested the assistance of the SAPS Provincial Diving Unit and upon arrival at the scene, after assessing the circumstances, they retrieved the bodies of the two victims from the motor vehicle,” Swartbooi said.
Both victims were declared deceased by medical personnel on the scene. Stellenbosch police have registered an inquest for further investigation.
In a statement, Stellenbosch University conveyed condolences to family and friends of Kirkland and Lees.
Professor Deresh Ramjugernath said the loss of a student in such tragic circumstances was a blow to the whole campus community.
In a short statement, the Stellenbosch Municipality said it was closely following developments around the police investigation, and that the bodies were discovered at a private erf in Bird Street.
“Municipal Law Enforcement are providing our full co-operation to the SAPS in terms of information and intelligence sharing,” the statement read. The municipality said it would be releasing a full statement, today.
“We convey our sincere condolences to the affected families and vow to provide our full co-operation to the SAPS as they investigate this case.”
Anyone with information is urged to contact Crime Stop on 0860010111.