Despite not yet reaching the age of 40, I think about my retirement years a lot. In my perfect world, by this point in my life, my son is grown up and successful, and my husband and I are free of the daily shackles of a 9-5 job. We (somehow) have enough money to live comfortably, give generously, and travel often. Hopefully, we will have a few grandkids, and the rat race of life will finally quiet down.
I envision the last leg of my tour being peaceful and hopefully spent in good company and good health. What I can’t imagine is making it that far only for it to be snatched away by the hand of a cruel and careless person.
Retired Cape Town couple Ernst and Dina Marais were on a safari when their golden years were stolen by murderous fiends.
The pair traveled to Kruger National Park in South Africa and were last seen leaving their accommodations on May 20, 2026, for a day of sightseeing, according to People. After failing to return, they were reported missing, but just two days later, their bodies were found full of stab wounds and floating in crocodile-infested waters.
The Sun reported that they were found by a group of tourists who arrived early to catch a herd of elephants crossing Crook’s Corner.
“It was hoped that they had gone off road and [that their vehicle had] broken down after heavy local floods somewhere, but then we got a call to say two bodies had been found,” a Kruger National Park source told the outlet. “Both had been stabbed in what was clearly a very brutal attack and had been thrown into the river, no doubt for the crocs, and their 4 x 4 had been stolen, so this is a very major incident for us.”
The newspaper also reported that the couple’s arms were bound behind their backs, and each had multiple wounds on their upper bodies.
The Sun’s anonymous source also noted that investigators believe poachers had something to do with the gruesome crime, suspecting the couple accidentally happened upon them. Authorities theorize the couple may have been killed so they could not speak out against them.
The source also noted, “Their pickup truck would have been an easy way to transport anything they were carrying if they were smugglers, and there are unfenced ways to get across the river into Mozambique.”
A large manhunt is underway to find the murderers who killed the innocent couple.
South African National Parks stated with “shock and sadness” that two bodies were discovered, sharing the information via a news release published on May 23.
“It is the first time in the history of the Kruger National Park that an incident of this nature has been reported,” Willie Aucamp, minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment, expressed in the release.
He noted that the victims’ family was informed of the tragedy, and an investigation has begun.
