Tokai murder timeline: What we know so far

09 March 2016 - 18:20 By TMG Digital

16-year-old schoolgirl Franziska Blöchliger was murdered while jogging through the Tokai forest. This is the time line of events. Monday 3pm: Shireen Blöchliger and her daughter Franziska go to the Tokai forest so Franziska can have a run before they fetch her younger sister Sofia from the nearby bus stop. The “half circuit” usually takes about 25 minutes. They have the family dog‚ a golden retriever‚ with them but Franziska prefers to run without it because it will slow her down.Ruvan Boshoff 3.30pm: Shireen is concerned that Franziska is not back yet. She thinks she may have done the full circuit but is worried about being late to fetch her other daughter from the bus stop. She calls her husband Florian to tell him she is worried. Florian says he will drive out from the family’s home in Muizenberg to the forest to look for Franziska‚ while Shireen goes to the bus stop. 3.40pm: Florian arrives and drives around the forest route a few times‚ shouting for Franziska. His wife and younger daughter return from the bus stop and join in. They then call police.junk3.50pm: Florian receives a phone call from his daughter's iPhone while driving through the forest on his scooter. He hears nothing on the other end except for a “screaming child”. His father calls him and tells him that the same has happened to him.HALDEN KROG 4pm: The Tokai community mobilises a search party.Ruvan Boshoff 4.15pm: Florian and Shireen are told by a police councillor that the body of their daughter has been found on the edge of a path close to the road. They are not shown their daughter's body‚ which was apparently brutally beaten. It is believed she was strangled.Tuesday 6pm: A mass silent memorial is held in Tokai forest and hundreds of people from the community‚ as well as family and friends‚ walk through the forest in mourning.9pm: Police track Franziska's phone to Westlake. Later that night three suspects are detained, as police revealed on Wednesday...

There’s never been a more important time to support independent media.

From World War 1 to present-day cosmopolitan South Africa and beyond, the Sunday Times has been a pillar in covering the stories that matter to you.

For just R80 you can become a premium member (digital access) and support a publication that has played an important political and social role in South Africa for over a century of Sundays. You can cancel anytime.

Already subscribed? Sign in below.



Questions or problems? Email helpdesk@timeslive.co.za or call 0860 52 52 00.