Joan Singrew murder: The devil is in the detail

Update

GEORGE NEWS - DNA testing has confirmed that the blood discovered in the Rosemoor home of the murdered Joan Singrew (53) and inside the white Ford Figo driven by her husband, Duane (46), matched her DNA profile.

Joan's body was found on 25 November 2024, four days after she had been reported missing.

Her husband and his cousin, Heinrich Jumat (45), were arrested shortly afterwards and face multiple charges, including murder, kidnapping, assault with intent to cause grievous bodily harm, aggravated robbery and defeating the ends of justice.

Both pleaded not guilty.

During pathologist Dr Christa Hattingh's testimony yesterday, 12 November, the court heard that Joan's death was caused by strangulation. Hattingh testified to bruising on Joan's neck, head and arms, indicating blunt force such as grabbing, punching or kicking.

She had bruises and abrasions to her legs, back and arms as well, some of which were caused after death. There were also indications of oxygen deprivation to the brain.

Hattingh said she had performed the postmortem on 27 November 2024 and Joan's body was already decomposing.

Police testify

More evidence emerged in the George Circuit High Court this week during the testimony of a provincial bloodstain pattern analyst, who said traces of old or possibly cleaned blood were found in the Singrews' home and the Ford Figo Duane drove before his wife's disappearance.

Blood was detected in the passage, a bedroom and on the vehicle's seats and in the boot, which was still wet down to the spare wheel and carpet when the police inspected it.

The police officer who was investigating Joan's disappearance testified that on the day she had gone missing, her husband had fetched their daughters from school, but had reportedly insisted on placing their schoolbags in the boot himself - something he would not normally do. Jumat was allegedly with him.

Joan's body was found by a police K9 unit in some dense bushes, lying against a tree stump about 15m down an embankment near Charles Street, Great Brak River. Her body was already in an advanced stage of decomposition and was identified through fingerprints.

The police later discovered a piece of rope near the area where her body was found.

Licence plate recognition (LPR) cameras captured a white Ford Figo travelling on the R102 between George and Great Brak around the time Joan vanished. CCTV footage also showed a similar vehicle being driven towards the area where her body was discovered, and returning about 20 minutes later.

Friend testifies

A friend testified that Joan had visited him for coffee the day before her disappearance. The Singrews were in the process of divorcing, as Joan had allegedly suffered repeated domestic abuse.

The friend said when he drove Joan home, she pointed out a white Ford Figo driving past them, saying it was the car her husband was using.

The friend told the court that as he was on his way home to the CBD, he realised Duane was following him. Growing suspicious, he drove in the opposite direction into Thembalethu via Nelson Mandela Boulevard to try to shake the tail, but the car continued to follow.

Through his advocate, Johan Visser SC, Duane claimed he was acting on instructions from his divorce attorney to obtain the vehicle's registration number. Joan's friend said the last time he had spoken to her on WhatsApp was at 08:39 on Thursday 21 November. After that, her phone was switched off.

Missing person report

Joan, who worked as a cleaner for Go George, was planning to press charges against her estranged husband the day she went missing.

The investigating officer testified it was Joan's daughter who reported her mother missing. She described her mother as neat and cautious, always letting her family know where she was going.

Her silence, the fact that her dressing table was in disarray and she left her cellphone charger at home, immediately raised concern.

In his testimony, the officer said the daughter claims Duane mopped the floors with a detergent normally used for mould, something he never did before, and that she found blood on a cupboard door and a duvet in another room. She alerted the police, who seized the Ford Figo for inspection.

According to the officer's testimony, neither of the accused joined the search parties for the missing woman.

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