Headless body caught in fishing nets

A HEADLESS body was part of the catch of a Ludwani fishing vessel off the coast over the weekend.

The body, wearing running shoes and tattered clothing, was in an advanced stage of decay when it was pulled from the sea.According to Detective Warrant Officer John Mwatongwe of the Erongo Police, the body was discovered by the vessel’s captain, Johnny Manuel, who said he was hauling in the fishing gear on Sunday, about 190 nautical miles north-west of Walvis Bay, when he discovered the headless human remains amongst the fish in the nets.’The skin was off totally, and the head was gone. The flesh was in an advanced state of decay, with most of the bones sticking out but still held in place by the sinews,’ Mwatongwe said.A Cell Tell SIM Card was found in the pocket of the tattered pants.Mwatongwe said the Cell Tell card was not Namibian, but this did not rule out the possibility that the corpse may have been a Namibian who had acquired the SIM card in another country.’How long the body’s been there for, or whether it’s a man or a woman, or black or white, we cannot say. We also don’t know what the cause of death could be. Or why the body was so far out. We will have to wait for forensics,’ Mwatongwe said.He said many people drown in the ocean and, with the strong currents, bodies of victims could be swept far out to sea.’We want anyone who has any information about missing people to come forward. They are also welcome to attempt to identify the corpse,’ he said.People must present the missing person’s ID or any documents that could assist in identifying the corpse.Mwatongwe can be contacted at (064) 21 9054 or Detective Warrant Officer Julia Nujoma can be reached at (064) 21 9013 or 081 270 7812.