South African police have found the bodies of eight women in the Kempton Park area, east of Johannesburg, over the past two months, prompting widespread concern and anger.
The deaths have led to a high-level police investigation and renewed attention to femicide and violent crime in South Africa.
Police investigate possible links
Gauteng provincial police commissioner Fred Kekana said investigators are examining whether the cases are connected but cautioned against concluding too early that a serial killer or a single suspect was responsible.
"Investigators are considering all possibilities, including the possibility of multiple suspects or separate perpetrators," he said.
Police are comparing evidence, timelines, locations, victim profiles and other circumstances before drawing conclusions.
Kekana said, however, that the similarities among the cases and the close proximity of the locations where the bodies were found were concerning.
Some of the more recently discovered bodies were found in Olifantsfontein and Kwa-Thema, about 25 kilometers (15 miles) and 34 kilometers (21 miles), respectively, from Kempton Park, where the first five bodies were found.
"While investigations are still underway and SAPS has not, at this stage, confirmed that the deaths are linked to a serial killer, the similarities are sufficiently concerning for the police to issue a public warning and intensify investigations," Kekana said.
All victims were young women
Police said Wednesday that eight women had been identified as victims. They were between 20 and 38 years old and were found either naked or partially clothed, with bruises on their bodies.
The first body was found July 17. The woman was naked and had been restrained with cable ties. Police arrested a suspect believed to be her boyfriend, who remains in custody.
One of the victims was identified as 38-year-old runner Elizabeth "Tsontso" Moselakgomo, who went missing last week.
Her disappearance was reported after her 8-year-old daughter told relatives that Moselakgomo had not returned from her usual afternoon run. Her body was found several days later.
Another body recovered in Olifantsfontein on Tuesday was found naked and in an advanced state of decomposition.
The youngest victim was identified as a 20-year-old woman.
Deaths highlight high levels of violence
The cases have renewed concerns over femicide and violent crime in South Africa and triggered an outcry over women's safety.
The country recorded 5,427 murders between April and July this year, an average of about 45 killings a day, according to the latest crime statistics.
The United Nations agency responsible for gender equality says South Africa has one of the world's highest femicide rates.
A 2022 study by a South African think tank found that more than 35% of adult women in the country had experienced physical or sexual violence at some point.
Police have offered a cash reward for information that could help solve the killings.