Top cop takes on Miguel Louw case

A crack Durban detective – the same man who held the murder docket of slain escort Siam Lee – has taken charge of the investigation into the disappearance of Miguel Louw.

Veteran cop Rajan Govender‚ of the city’s organised crime unit‚ had visited the scene where the decomposed body of a boy was found in Phoenix on Monday.

The body‚ found as police pursued fleeing robbers in Longbury on Monday‚ was so badly decomposed that DNA testing is the only way to determine conclusively that the body in the bush is that of the missing schoolboy.

The proximity of the discovery is expected to be central to the investigation‚ with the remains located just paces from the home of the prime suspect‚ Mohammed Ebrahim.

The 43-year-old butcher had lived in a shed on his father’s property on Longbury Drive.

Police sources with knowledge of the investigation‚ who spoke to TimesLIVE on condition of anonymity‚ confirmed that Govender had taken the reins. The case‚ which has garnered national media attention‚ has changed hands several times.

Govender was part of a team of police officers who examined the scene on Monday‚ working with forensic investigators who combed the dumpsite for evidence.

TimesLIVE earlier reported that sources close to the investigation had said the sleeves of a school jacket had been tied around the child’s head. It is believed that the school uniform led the police to linking the body to the Miguel Louw case.

Ebrahim‚ the lone suspect linked to the kidnapping on July 17‚ was granted bail of R2‚500 in the Durban Magistrate’s Court last week. But he has not yet raised bail.

Ebrahim was arrested three days after Miguel was last seen. When he was detained‚ he was found in possession of Miguel’s original birth certificate and Miguel’s mother’s identity document.

CCTV footage showed Miguel at a KFC with Ebrahim‚ an acquaintance of the family for about two weeks‚ on the day of his disappearance.