The South African police announced on Monday that they are searching for the fugitive murderer and serial rapist, Thabo Bester, who they thought was dead since May 2022.
Police discovered a charred corpse in the Bloemfontein prison cell where Thabo Bester was serving his sentence in May 2022, but DNA tests determined that the victim was not the person in question.
On Monday, police spokeswoman Athlenda Mathe said the priority is to find the fugitive.
Thabo Bester, sentenced in 2012 to life imprisonment, is known as the “Facebook Rapist” for luring his victims via the social network.
An autopsy revealed that the victim found in his cell had died from a severe blow to the head before his body was set on fire. A new murder investigation was opened.
Women’s rights groups regularly criticize the South African government for its failure to curb violence against women.