‘An immeasurable void’: Murder case opened after teens found dead at Mpumalanga lodge

The bodies of Cameron Waldeck-Cooks and Ethan Coetzee were found at a lodge in Sabie on Monday. Pictures: Facebook The parents of Cameron Waldeck-Cooks have remembered her as a “kind-hearted, warm and determined” girl as the police investigate a murder case after she and Ethan Coetzee died in Mpumalanga. Graham Coetzee discovered the bodies of Waldeck-Cooks, a Grade 11 pupil at St Stithians Girls’ College in Sandton, and Coetzee, who matriculated from St Stithians Boys’ College in 2025, at a lodge in Sabie on Monday, 3 August.

“Police received a complaint on Monday, 3 August 2026 at approximately 7:50am regarding two people who were found deceased at the lodge,” Mpumalanga police spokesperson Colonel Mavela Masondo said on Friday. “Upon arrival at the scene, members found a 19-year-old male and a 17-year-old female. Both were declared dead at the scene.” The South African Police Service (Saps) initially opened an inquest docket, but investigators added a murder case after postmortem results.

“The postmortem results suggest that the 17-year-old female may have been strangled, while the 19-year-old male may have taken his own life,” Masondo said. In astatement on Facebook, Waldeck-Cooks’ parents, Derrick Cooks and Claire Waldeck-Cooks, said they were notified on the morning of 3 August that Graham Coetzee discovered her body. The family appointed an independent pathologist who advised them that his preliminary findings indicate that their daughter died as a result of strangulation and suffocation.

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They added that the police confirmed they have opened a murder investigation. According to the parents, the 17-year-old was working towards the gold level of The President’s Award for Youth Empowerment, Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award in South Africa. As part of the programme, Waldeck-Cooks was preparing to complete a multi-day adventure journey.

Two families invited the pupil to Sabie for a hiking trip to help her achieve that goal. “Cameron was a deeply loved daughter, sister, family member, friend and student. She was kind-hearted, warm and determined,” the grieving parents said.

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