I had to see my son's bones and skull - mother's pain after grave desecration

A Groot Aub family has been forced to relive one of the darkest moments of their lives after the grave of their son, Willem Joseph Modise, was dug open, exposing his coffin and remains in what police are investigating as a suspected grave desecration.

The disturbing discovery was made on Wednesday morning, 8 July, when a community member cleaning the Groot Aub Cemetery noticed a large hole in one of the graves, with the coffin exposed, and alerted police.

According to Namibian Police spokesperson Chief Inspector Kauna Shikwambi, officers who responded to the scene found the grave had been dug open, with a heap of excavated sand piled alongside it.

Investigators followed sneaker footprints leading away from the grave until the trail could no longer be tracked. The Police Scene of Crime Unit and Forensic Pathology officials processed the scene before the remains were removed. No arrests have been made and investigations are continuing.

For Modise's mother, Gertrud Maria Modise, the discovery reopened wounds she says never truly healed.

"Firstly, I didn't get answers as to how my son died, and now I get to see this. It hurts me as a mother. It is a pain that no one can explain or comfort me with," she said through tears.

According to Gertrud, her son died on 8 January 2023 in what was reported as an alleged suicide in Swakopmund after he was allegedly found intoxicated on a street and taken into police custody.

"We were told he used a shirt to hang himself. We asked for pictures, but they told us they would give us the pictures after the funeral," she claimed.

She further alleged that when the family viewed his body at the mortuary before the funeral, they noticed bruises on his knees and toes, as well as blood on his knees.

"We wanted to take pictures, but we were instructed not to," she said.

Unanswered questions

The family says many questions surrounding Willem's death remain unanswered.

"There are so many things we didn't get answers to. It's suspicious. Things do not make sense," Gertrud said. "I have so many questions as a mother surrounding my son's death, but because we're Christians, we've told ourselves to accept things as they are."

Willem was buried on 21 January 2023. More than three years later, his mother says she never imagined she would once again watch his remains being removed from his grave.

"The grave was dug up until the bottom," she said. "Now I get to see my child's bones and skeleton lying around in the open. Whoever did this, please come and just tell me why. Why did you open a grave I closed of my son?"

She said the ordeal forced her to relive the trauma of losing her son.

"I have to see them take my son's body in a white bag again and take him to the morgue again. I have to relive this all over again."

"This is like a re-burial for me. We have to bury my son again."

The family also questioned security at the Groot Aub Cemetery, saying no security guards are protecting the site.

Police have not indicated a possible motive for the grave desecration and have appealed to anyone with information that could assist the investigation to come forward.

As investigators search for those responsible, the Modise family is preparing to bury Willem for a second time, while still searching for answers about both the desecration of his grave and the circumstances surrounding his death.