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Police are unwilling to speculate on the circumstances in which a young man died after his body lay in the bathroom of a restaurant for more than a day before anyone found him.
David Weru, 25, of Midrand’s family, also said that a post-mortem examination had to be completed and said they had full confidence in the police.
“David was a son, brother, friend and integral part of several communities who felt they were robbed of a very young life.”
According to the family, David, a social media manager, was on the way from work in Sandton on June 13 on the Gautrain when he told his parents he would take care of dinner. He later told him he was late and supposedly went to a restaurant to get takeaways, but he never showed up at home.
His parents, Ben and Jeni, were furious all weekend about not being able to get hold of him, but hoped he might decide at the last minute to rather visit friends.
They were about to report him to the police as missing, when police called them to identify David’s body in the bathroom of the Galito’s restaurant in the Boulders mall in Midrand.
“He was only wearing his pants. His other clothes, bags and valuables were gone, ”the family wrote in a statement on Facebook.
Police on confirmed that they were called to the restaurant in question on Monday morning after personnel who had opened the morning found the body of a man in the bathroom.
“It is alleged the man was seen entering the restaurant and staff were not aware there was anyone in the bathroom when they closed the doors for the evening,” said provincial police spokesman Kay Makhubele.
The restaurant was closed on Sunday.
According to Makhubele, there were no noticeable injuries to David’s body and a judicial investigation is underway.
However, the family was initially convinced that someone was chasing David and attacked him in the bathroom, or that his attacker was already in the bathroom.
The restaurant has handed over its CCTV footage to the police and is cooperating fully.
The family says the restaurant’s management came to visit them to offer help and support.
The family and police are calling on eyewitnesses or anyone with information to come forward.
In 2012, Weru matriculated from the private Christian school HeronBridge College in Fourways.
The school posted its shock and sadness over Weru’s death in a Facebook entry.
A memorial service was held Tuesday at Acts Christian Church and he is buried in Waterfall Cemetery. – Compiled by Ilse Schoombee
