Police search for family of murdered woman

Police are searching for the family of a woman who was found tortured and murdered near Mhluzi in Middelburg‚ Mpumalanga.

The unidentified woman was found with a plastic bag over her head while the rest of her body was wrapped in a blanket‚ said Brigadier Leonard Hlathi.

"Police further discovered that she may have been (scorched) with a hot plate and stabbed or cut with sharp objects on the body. A post-mortem will be conducted to determine the cause of death‚" Hlathi said.

A passerby found her body on Wednesday morning.

"The victim was declared dead by paramedics who were summoned to the scene and a case of murder was opened. Police then launched an investigation following all possible clues‚ which led them to Tshwane in Gauteng‚ where they arrested a suspect‚" said Hlathi.

The suspect is a 26-year-old man. Hlathi did not immediately disclose how he was linked to the victim.

"So far the reason for the murder is unknown yet but preliminary investigations suggest that the victim was killed at a different place‚ then dragged and dumped where she was found‚" Hlathi said.

The suspect is expected to appear in the Middelburg Magistrate's Court soon.

"So far the victim is still not yet identified and police urge anyone who might have lost a family member‚ a woman in her late twenties‚ to come forth‚" Hlathi said.