Stellenbosch community still reeling from tragic death of teens
|Published
Several flowers have been left by grieving residents in Stellenbosch following the tragic death of Ethan Kirkland, 19, and Leila Lees, 18.
Cape Town – The vehicle belonging to the Stellenbosch teens whose death has shocked the town is said to have been discovered by young boys who were searching for scrap metal in the area.
Ethan Kirkland,19, and Leila Lees,18, were declared dead on the scene after their vehicle was found submerged in a quarry.
They were reported missing to police on Saturday.
Their bodies were discovered after a resident spotted an object in the water and alerted authorities, according to police.
Stellenbosch University has described the deaths of Kirkland, a first-year BSc student, and his friend Lees, as a blow to the whole student community.
“Our hearts go out to the families of Ethan and Leila, whose lives were cut short by this tragedy. They both had a bright future and we cannot imagine the amount of pain their parents and loved ones are going through,” the university said.
The pair were last seen alive leaving a Halloween party on Friday.
Leila wore a white silk dress with angel wings, according to reports.
Kirkland’s father, Paul Midlane, said the family was devastated.
“Ethan was the most wonderful boy, loved by many and gone too soon,” said the father.
The Stellenbosch Municipality has released a statement about the property in Bird Street where the teens’ bodies were found, saying it belonged to a private property owner.
Development approval was granted in the early 1990s for the development of the property into a multi-residential building.
The development commenced, but because the owner was in breach of the conditions attached to the development, the development ceased.
“It is understood that the owner has fallen ill, which has also added additional time constraints to the process. Numerous attempts were then made to meet with the owner’s son in early June 2022. He never committed to meet with the municipality,” the municipality said.
Grieving residents left several flowers in the area after the tragic incident.
Cape Times