Authorities have announced that the search mission for a Garden Route mother and her children is now a recovery operation. This comes after parts of a charcoal-coloured Volkswagen Caravelle were found. The parts match the description of the vehicle Heidi Scheepers (35) was driving when she went missing. Her young daughter and son, aged six and two years old respectively were with her.
A recovery operation has now been launched. The appropriate vehicles and manpower were brought to the scene to find out what else could be discovered at the site. Initially, only the door fitting the description of the vehicle was spotted. However, reports now stipulate that more of the wreckage is visible in the low tide.
“We have strong reason to believe that the wreckage that was found at the bottom of the cliff is that of the missing person’s car. No registration number plate has been found and we can therefore not confirm it at this time,” Southern Cape police spokesperson Malcolm Pojie said in a statement.
No bodies have been found, and many are clinging to the hope that Scheepers and the children have somehow survived.
Attempts have been made by recovery and rescue personnel to secure the vehicle in order for police divers to conduct underwater investigations. Rough sea conditions have reportedly made it exceptionally difficult for divers to investigate without putting their own lives at risk.
“The recovery operation has been put on hold until conditions improve. The next low tide at Herold’s Bay will be at 7pm,” Pojie said.
Scheepers and her two children were last seen in Harolds Bay at 6pm Tuesday afternoon. They have been missing since.
Picture: Mossel Bay Advertiser
