Update

GEORGE NEWS - Thirty-four years ago on 19 July 1988, Glenn Wood, a 14-year-old learner at York High, vanished from his family home in Heather Park. It will be his 49th birthday on 18 October this year.

Seven years after his disappearance a man, Willem Erasmus, said he had abducted Glenn and killed him. 

Erasmus, who was tried and convicted of Glenn's murder based on a testimony he gave after being incarcerated for the attempted murder of his girlfriend, was released from prison in 2007. 

While he was sentenced for the boy's murder, Glenn's body has never been found and the family also never got the closure they so desperately wanted.

In August 2018 Glenn's sister, Glynnis Hartwig, told George Herald journalist Michelle Pienaar that the convicted man said he had spoken to Glenn on a previous occasion and offered to find him parts from his brother's factory which manufactured radio-controlled airplanes.

"It was a big interest of my brother," she said. "Glenn asked our dad for money the night before he disappeared, saying he needed a part for his aeroplane. However, the information is something the convicted man could have fabricated, because the case was widely publicised. 

"It would have been very easy for him to place himself in the picture through information gathered in the media. It is established that he failed numerous lie detector tests. He is a pathological liar. He couldn't even give us the correct place where Glenn's body was supposedly dumped. 

"Four places were dug up, miles from each other. Wilderness sand dunes, parts of George Golf Course, a spot in Sedgefield and one in the Outeniqua Mountains."

Renewed interest

But Glenn's disappearance sparked the interest of private investigator Leon Rossouw of Cold Case Consulting Detectives. He has recently launched a Facebook page called GlennWoodVermis, in the hope of finding new evidence that could explain what happened to Glenn on that fateful day. 

Cold Case Consulting Detectives is dedicated to investigating cases like this that were not solved during the initial investigation.

"We are devoted to assisting the family and police with these cold cases and bring these families closure. We want to give the nameless back their names and return the missing to their families," said Rossouw. "We would like to solve the cold case of Glenn Wood. Someone out there is holding the missing piece of the puzzle and three decades later the family still doesn't have any answers. They never had a memorial as there has never been closure."

But, despite making peace with the fact that she would never find him alive, Glenn's sister Glynnis says she still prays that they will find out what really happened that day.

Until their recent deaths, Glenn's parents, Britha and Ian Wood, also held on to the hope of finding closure in their lifetime.

"Until my mom and dad passed away they spoke about Glenn at every opportunity. He was so loved and so missed. We may not be able to bring him back, but if anyone out there has any knowledge on what happened we would love to know the truth. It may very well protect others from experiencing the grief his disappearance brought to our family," says Glynnis.

Challenges

According to Rossouw, the challenge with cases like Glenn's is that with each day that passes, the case grows a little colder. Memories fade and with them the chances of solving the crime. The media will start to concentrate on other stories and the community gradually begins to forget.

"Only the devastated parents, family and close friends will still wander the streets, looking for something. But I believe that in every cold case file, somebody knows the truth. There's always someone out there with information and we are always trying to find that someone. These cases should not be buried in a filing cabinet. Evidence speaks when victims can't," he says.

For advice to families on how to deal with cases of this kind, or if you have any information regarding the case of Glenn Wood, please contact or WhatsApp Cold Case Consulting Detectives on 073 153 8141 or send an email to vermis@consultingdetectives.co.za.

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