boknes beach eastern cape


Holidaymakers stumble on human bones along Boknes beach

The investigators have the tough job of identifying the person whose bones were found scattered along a beach in Boknes.

boknes beach eastern cape


Investigators in Boknes, Eastern Cape, have the tough job of identifying the human remains that were discovered alongside the beach by holidaymakers.

How Boknes holidaymakers stumbled on human remains

According to police spokesperson, Captain Mali Govender, a man who was on holiday with his family in Boknes, a small seaside town in the Eastern Cape, stumbled upon the human remains along the beach “close to the lagoon”.

“He came across, what he initially thought was a round stone and started to dig around and discovered that it was the skull of a human being,” Govender noted in a statement.

Thinking quickly, the man contacted Boknes police. Govender explained that the discovery of the skull gave rise to the possibility that they might stumble on more bones.

Sure enough, the responding officers discovered more bones nearby, which were all collected for analysis to discover crucial details which may assist in identifying who they belong to.

How can investigators identify the victim

Forensic science has developed to a phase where pathologists can ascertain certain biological facts about a human through examining their bones.

A human skull can provide investigators with details such as the person’s age, gender and ethnicity. One of the other key things forensics needs to identify humans is the skull’s dentures.

Pathologists often rely on the dental records of missing people for comparison with the recovered skull’s dentures. If they are lucky enough, they might even be able to pull tissue from one of the teeth, something that is key in DNA analysis.

However, more than anything, investigators will be keen to know how the skull go to where it was found. Analysing the bones will be able to give investigators a clue into how the human met his or her fate.

What’s the latest in this case?

According to Captain Govender, the human bones have been handed over to the Department of Health: Forensics Department for further analysis.

“An inquest docket has been opened for investigation. According to our records, no person has been reported missing in the area. Detectives are trying to establish the identity of the victim,” Govender added.

The Boknes police have urged people in the community, who may be aware of any persons who went missing and their bodies not recovered, to contact authorities.