Warning: This article contains content that may upset readers.
In Durban High Court, where three individuals are on trial for the murders of British botanists Dr Rachel Saunders (63) and Rodney Saunders (73), text messages were revealed in which the three ISIS-linked accused described the victims as an ‘elderly couple’ who would be a ‘good hunt’.
The couple was last seen on 4 February 2018, following an interview with BBC TV host Nick Bailey for a Gardeners’ World episode.
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On 4 February 2018, the Saunders drove 900 miles from their home in Cape Town, where they ran their business, Silverhill Seeds, to meet the BBC TV film crew.
They then moved to the Ngoye Forest, and their last contact was on 8 February, prompting a full-scale police search two days later.
ISIS-linked Aslam Del Vecchio (41), his wife, Bibi Fatima Patel (31) and their lodger, Mussa Ahmad Jackson (37), allegedly tracked them down and murdered them before reportedly throwing their bodies into a crocodile-infested river.
The accused allegedly spent £37 000 on the victims’ credit cards and reportedly stole their Toyota Land Cruiser, camping equipment and mobile phones.
According to The Mirror, the court reportedly found text messages between the trio in which they described the couple as a ‘good hunt.’
All three accused have pleaded not guilty to all charges, including kidnapping, robbery with aggravating circumstances, theft, and murder.
In Durban High Court, the pathologists, who cannot be named for fear of their safety, explained the nature of the couple’s deaths.
The bodies of the husband and wife washed up within a few days, but DNA tests took months to identify them due to how badly the crocodiles had mutilated them and how decomposed the bodies had become.
The pathologist who performed the post-mortem on microbiologist Dr Rachel Saunders stated that the injuries made it difficult to determine whether the victim was male or female.
Rachel’s body, according to the doctor with 40 years of experience, was ‘one of the most extreme cases’ for which he had ever performed an autopsy in his entire career.
He explained she died as a result of strangulation, stab wounds, and blunt trauma injuries, and then referred to crocodile mutilation that rendered her unrecognisable.
‘There was no way to determine the gender,’ he explained. ‘I also saw fractures on the skull, spine, neck, and ribcage. There was no hair. There were also multiple stab wounds.’
Mr Naidu, the prosecutor, asked the pathologist if he was aware the body had been discovered in the Tugela River and if the injuries present were the result of ‘scavenger activity.’
The pathologist agreed, stating that the violent nature in which the body was dismembered suggests crocodiles may have fed on it.
He said that there were ‘ragged bites’ all over the body.
He explained that the stab wounds were well defined, about 2cm deep, that the marks on her neck indicated strangulation, and that her death was caused by multiple injuries.
Another pathologist previously stated that world-renowned horticulturist Rod Saunders died from a blunt impact injury and was attacked by crocodiles in the river.
He said, ‘Examination of the body showed evidence of scavenger activity, for example, a crocodile due to lost tissue on the arms, neck, and chest and a missing tongue.’
Born in South Africa, Rachel received British citizenship when she married British-born Rod 30 years ago, and the couple travelled the world giving lectures about their love of South African Gladioli.
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Picture: Unsplash