Welkom’s tranquillity was pierced by the urgent search for 16-year-old Ongratile Moreki, a pupil of Welkom Gymnasium High School, who mysteriously vanished last Friday.
Free State police intensify search for Ongratile Moreki
The Free State police have ramped up their efforts, calling on the community for any leads that could unravel the whereabouts of the missing teen.
Ongratile was last seen leaving her home for school, donned in her uniform, on the morning of Friday, 26 January 2024, around 07:05.
Alarm bells rang later that day when her return home was amiss. In an anxious search for answers, her mother reached out to Ongratile’s friend, only to discover her daughter never made it to school on the fateful day.
The plot thickened on Sunday, 28 January 2024, when a boy, acquainted with Ongratile, appeared at her doorstep with her school bag, containing her uniform.
Pressed on how he came into possession of the items, he mentioned another boy, also known to the family, had passed it to him with instructions to deliver it back to Ongratile’s mother.
This peculiar chain of custody has added more questions than answers to the unsettling disappearance.
In response to this baffling situation, a missing person case was promptly registered, with Detective Warrant Officer Bertus Olivier spearheading the investigation.
Olivier’s message is clear: anyone with even a sliver of information is strongly encouraged to step forward.
As the investigation unfolds, the priority remains on gathering any leads that could illuminate Ongratile’s last known movements and potential whereabouts.