April 10, 2021- 7:42 p.m
A hotel owner has been accused of murder after a young couple were found in a shower, dead from carbon monoxide poisoning.
The bodies of Jean Vosloo, 25, and Mari Hoon, 28, were found by a friend at the Kliphuis Guesthouse in the Eastern Cape of South Africa last year.
Hotel owner Kevin Pretorius, 47, was charged with two counts of murder on Tuesday after a year-long police investigation.
The engaged couple from Gauteng, South Africa had been staying at the hotel, located on a farm 17km from Kareedouw, for a mini-break with their friend Stephan.
It was Stephan who made the gruesome discovery of their bodies on April 26 last year.
With no apparent injuries, police launched an investigation, finding the pair had died from carbon monoxide poisoning, with their blood containing more than 70 per cent of the deadly gas.
Carbon monoxide – known as the silent killer – is produced when there isn’t enough oxygen during combustion, for example from a gas boiler or a fire.
It poisons the body by blocking the red blood cells from being able to transport oxygen.
Initially, police said they believed a faulty gas boiler was to blame for the deaths. But now Mr Pretorius has been charged with two counts of murder, with specific details of the breakthrough which led to the charges not revealed.
The charges follow a number of police interviews with several people, including experts, since the investigation started on April 26 last year.
He appeared in court in Humansdorp on Tuesday following his arrest.
“Pretorius’ arrest follows an extensive investigation, which started on Sunday, April 26, 2020 as an inquest,” police spokesperson Sergeant Majola Nkohli said, according to Algoa FM.
Mr Vosloo, an agriculture graduate, and Ms Hoon, who studied business management, were due to get married last month.
Sune Hoon, Mari’s sister, said the young couple met when they were students in Stellenbosch and got engaged two years later.
“I think Mari knew from the start that Jean was the man she wanted to marry. They were a perfect couple,” she told YOU.
“They were like peanut butter and syrup – they did everything together.”
Pretorius was granted bail and is due to appear in court on May 24.
