Police have stated that a Grade 10 Overberg High School pupil has been found dead in a storeroom on the premises of the Caledon school, Cape {town} Etc reports.
On Wednesday, photos of Deveney Nel (16) were circulated on social media after she ‘failed to catch her lift home’ to Grabouw.
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‘Today (Wednesday), we are deeply distressed after one of our children died. The SAPS is handling the investigation. Therefore, the school must be closed on Thursday,’ the school stated in a circular that confirmed the death of Nel.
Bronagh Hammond, Western Cape Education Department (WCED) spokesperson, confirmed on Thursday that the school was closed and added that counselling ‘had been arranged’ for pupils at a local church, as reported by News24.
Captain FC van Wyk, Western Cape police spokesperson, confirmed that the body of Nel was found in a storeroom on the school’s premises.
Van Wyk said that the student’s mother reported her missing on Wednesday to the Grabouw police, after Nel didn’t arrive home from school.
‘A search party was established by SAPS Caledon. The search party later found the body of a girl in a storeroom on the school premises. She was declared deceased by medical personnel on the scene,’ said Van Wyk.
‘The victim was identified as the missing person,’ Van Wyk added.
A murder case has subsequently been opened, with the case transferred to the Provincial Serious and Violent Crimes team for ‘further investigation’, according to Van Wyk.
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Picture: Caledon Fm / Facebook