B1 Butcher victim identified

THE B1 Butcher’s victim has been identified: she was Kalkrand resident Sanna Helena //Garoes.

//Garoes’s 66-year-old mother, Lena Engelbrecht, had to carry out the grim task of identifying her daughter’s remains at the Police Mortuary in Windhoek on Friday morning. She identified the female torso, human head and two thighs found lying next to the main roads to the north, east and south of Windhoek over the past four weeks as the remains of her child, said Chief Inspector Angula Amulungu, the Commanding Officer of NamPol’s Public Relations and Liaison Division.WHO WAS SANNA? //Garoes’s life was cut short at the age of 36.According to the Police, she was born at Kalkrand on December 14 1970.She was last seen in Windhoek at about 23h00 on Wednesday, June 13, when she was spotted outside the Zum Wirt Restaurant on Independence Avenue in the city centre.Three and a half days later, early on the afternoon of June 17, a female human torso, dissected into two, was found in a rubbish bin at a lay-by next to the B1 road some 42 kilometres north of Windhoek.This torso, found within the boundaries of the Otjozondjupa Region and the Okahandja district, is part of the remains of //Garoes, it has now been established.Three days after the discovery of the torso, two human thighs were found in a rubbish bin – again at a lay-by next to the B1 road – in the Rehoboth district some 25 km north of Rehoboth.Amulungu said yesterday that an old bullet wound in one of the thighs led Engelbrecht to also recognise these body parts as belonging to her daughter.The third discovery of body parts, made on Wednesday, helped unlock the riddle of the identity of the person whose torso had been found four weeks ago.With that latest find, a human head, two lower legs and two feet – of which the three middle toes of each were cut off, the Police reported – were found lying next to the B6/Trans-Kalahari road some 35 km east of Windhoek.The Police said that the face of the head was reported to still be recognisable.A FRIEND SPEAKS A former commercial sex worker interviewed by The Namibian on Friday said she was a very close friend of both //Garoes and the 22-year-old Melanie Janse.Janse’s body was discovered next to a part of the Western Bypass section of the B1 road near the Van Eck Power Station on August 20 2005.The former sex worker, Chichi, who preferred not to be identified by her real names, said she, //Garoes and Janse used to work together on the streets.Chichi said she last saw //Garoes a week before she was reported missing.//Garoes reportedly regularly waited or looked for clients in the Independence Avenue, Ausspannplatz, and Zum Wirt Bar and Restaurant areas, Chichi said.She speculated that if //Garoes had fallen victim to the B1 Butcher, then the killer could be someone who has a long history with prostitutes.JUANITA About a month after Janse was found dead, another young Windhoek resident, 21-year-old Juanita Mabula, was found decapitated next to another section of the Western Bypass.The Police reported at the time that she was thought to have been a commercial sex worker as well, but her family has disputed this.On October 24 2005, four weeks after Mabula was found dead, her head was found lying next to the B1 road between Windhoek and Rehoboth, some 14,5 km north of the spot where the two thighs thought to be part of //Garoes’s remains were to be discovered on June 20.Amulungu said yesterday that it appeared as if the bodies of Mabula and //Garoes had been cut up in the same way.//Garoes’s arms and hands have not been found yet.A reward of N$60 000 for information that would lead to the arrest of the person who killed and dismembered //Garoes remains on offer.Information can be provided to the Police at telephone (061) 209 4414 between 08h00 and 17h00, or through the cellphone number 081 127 5510.She identified the female torso, human head and two thighs found lying next to the main roads to the north, east and south of Windhoek over the past four weeks as the remains of her child, said Chief Inspector Angula Amulungu, the Commanding Officer of NamPol’s Public Relations and Liaison Division.WHO WAS SANNA? //Garoes’s life was cut short at the age of 36.According to the Police, she was born at Kalkrand on December 14 1970.She was last seen in Windhoek at about 23h00 on Wednesday, June 13, when she was spotted outside the Zum Wirt Restaurant on Independence Avenue in the city centre.Three and a half days later, early on the afternoon of June 17, a female human torso, dissected into two, was found in a rubbish bin at a lay-by next to the B1 road some 42 kilometres north of Windhoek.This torso, found within the boundaries of the Otjozondjupa Region and the Okahandja district, is part of the remains of //Garoes, it has now been established.Three days after the discovery of the torso, two human thighs were found in a rubbish bin – again at a lay-by next to the B1 road – in the Rehoboth district some 25 km north of Rehoboth.Amulungu said yesterday that an old bullet wound in one of the thighs led Engelbrecht to also recognise these body parts as belonging to her daughter.The third discovery of body parts, made on Wednesday, helped unlock the riddle of the identity of the person whose torso had been found four weeks ago.With that latest find, a human head, two lower legs and two feet – of which the three middle toes of each were cut off, the Police reported – were found lying next to the B6/Trans-Kalahari road some 35 km east of Windhoek.The Police said that the face of the head was reported to still be recognisable. A FRIEND SPEAKS A former commercial sex worker interviewed by The Namibian on Friday said she was a very close friend of both //Garoes and the 22-year-old Melanie Janse.Janse’s body was discovered next to a part of the Western Bypass section of the B1 road near the Van Eck Power Station on August 20 2005.The former sex worker, Chichi, who preferred not to be identified by her real names, said she, //Garoes and Janse used to work together on the streets.Chichi said she last saw //Garoes a week before she was reported missing.//Garoes reportedly regularly waited or looked for clients in the Independence Avenue, Ausspannplatz, and Zum Wirt Bar and Restaurant areas, Chichi said.She speculated that if //Garoes had fallen victim to the B1 Butcher, then the killer could be someone who has a long history with prostitutes.JUANITA About a month after Janse was found dead, another young Windhoek resident, 21-year-old Juanita Mabula, was found decapitated next to another section of the Western Bypass.The Police reported at the time that she was thought to have been a commercial sex worker as well, but her family has disputed this.On October 24 2005, four weeks after Mabula was found dead, her head was found lying next to the B1 road between Windhoek and Rehoboth, some 14,5 km north of the spot where the two thighs thought to be part of //Garoes’s remains were to be discovered on June 20.Amulungu said yesterday that it appeared as if the bodies of Mabula and //Garoes had been cut up in the same way.//Garoes’s arms and hands have not been found yet.A reward of N$60 000 for information that would lead to the arrest of the person who killed and dismembered //Garoes remains on offer.Information can be provided to the Police at telephone (061) 209 4414 between 08h00 and 17h00, or through the cellphone number 081 127 5510.

In an age of information overload, Sunrise is The Namibian’s morning briefing, delivered at 6h00 from Monday to Friday. It offers a curated rundown of the most important stories from the past 24 hours – occasionally with a light, witty touch. It’s an essential way to stay informed. Subscribe and join our newsletter community.

The Namibian uses AI tools to assist with improved quality, accuracy and efficiency, while maintaining editorial oversight and journalistic integrity.