Married Couple Found Stabbed to Death in Crocodile-Infested River While on Vacation in South Africa

A retired couple was found stabbed to death after their bodies were dumped in a crocodile-infested river inside a South African national park, with investigators suspecting they may have been killed after unknowingly interrupting poachers.

Ernst Marais, 71, and his wife, Dina Marais, 73, were found Friday in the Limpopo River inside Kruger National Park with multiple stab wounds and their hands tied behind their backs. The bodies were reportedly spotted by tourists who had gathered to watch a herd of elephants move across the sprawling 7,579-square-mile reserve. The couple had traveled over 1,100 miles from their retirement village in Mossel Bay to spend a week at the national park.

Shocking Death

A search had already been launched after a maid at their safari camp reported them missing on Thursday morning. “It was hoped that they had gone off the road and broken down after heavy local floods somewhere but then we got a call to say two bodies had been found,” a national park source said.

“Both had been stabbed in what was clearly a very brutal attack and had been thrown into the river no doubt for the crocs,” the source said, noting that their four-by-four vehicle was also stolen.

“This is a very major incident for us. This is an extremely safe national park and this has shocked us all.”

A South African police source believes the couple may have unknowingly crossed paths with a violent group of poachers, who allegedly killed them to prevent anyone from exposing their illegal activities.

Death Circumstances Still Unclear

The attackers repeatedly stabbed the couple in the upper body, tied their hands behind their backs, then dragged them to the river and threw them into the water, according to the source. “Their pick-up truck would have been an easy way to transport anything they were carrying if they were smugglers and there are unfenced ways to get across the river into Mozambique,” the source said.

“A large manhunt is underway focusing on the assumption they are already out of the Kruger.”

A heartbroken neighbor said the couple had a deep love for safari trips and also owned a second home on a wildlife estate near Kruger called the Valley of the Elephants, which they visited often.

She said police arrived at the couple’s home Friday morning and knocked on their door before their bodies were later found.

“The police came knocking on their door Friday morning to see if they had returned from Kruger early and then we heard Ernst and Dina had been found dead,” the neighbor said.

“They were a lovely couple who loved going on safari and the residents are all in shock.”