Autopsy Findings Elevate Teen Deaths to Murder Investigation; Strangling Suspected in Mpum

Postmortem findings have shifted the Mpumalanga police investigation into the deaths of two St Stithians-linked teenagers from an inquest into a murder case, after examinations indicated that 17-year-old Cameron Waldeck-Cooks was strangled and that 19-year-old Ethan Coetzee may have died by suicide.

The bodies were discovered in a holiday home near Sabie on Monday. Police initially explored whether a drug overdose was responsible. That line of inquiry has now been abandoned entirely.

Police spokesperson Colonel Mavela Masondo confirmed on Friday that the postmortem results prompted the reclassification. Preliminary findings point to strangulation as the cause of Cameron’s death, while evidence suggests Ethan’s death was self-inflicted. Masondo said the investigation continues to establish the full circumstances of what occurred.

Cameron’s parents, Derrick Cooks and Claire Waldeck-Cooks, released a statement on Friday disclosing that they had retained an independent forensic pathologist to conduct a separate examination. That expert’s preliminary findings align with the police assessment: Cameron died as a result of strangulation and suffocation. The family confirmed that police opened a murder investigation and that they were notified on August 3 that a man named Graham Coetzee discovered their daughter’s body while hiking in the area.

According to her parents, Cameron had travelled to Sabie after accepting an invitation to join two families on a hiking expedition. The trip was framed as an opportunity for her to advance toward the gold level of the President’s Award for Youth Empowerment, the South African implementation of The Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award. That program requires participants to complete a multi-day adventurous journey as part of its criteria.

Cameron had enrolled at St Stithians Girls College in Grade R and remained there throughout her schooling. The school described her as an accomplished sportswoman who excelled in both rowing and netball. In their statement, Derrick and Claire described their daughter as kind-hearted and determined, someone whose presence had a positive effect on those around her. They noted that she possessed quiet strength, cared deeply for others, and naturally encouraged younger girls who looked up to her. Her loss, they said, has left an immeasurable void in their lives.

The family expressed gratitude to the St Stithians community, Cameron’s friends, and members of the school’s netball and rowing communities for their support since her death, describing that kindness as having sustained them through what they called an unimaginably painful time.

Meanwhile, the family issued a direct appeal for restraint. They acknowledged that conflicting and unverified accounts about the circumstances of Cameron’s death have circulated publicly, and they asked that speculation not be presented as fact while the investigation and forensic processes remain ongoing. The parents stated they are not in a position to give interviews or comment further at this stage, and they asked the media and public to protect the privacy of their family, and especially the children affected by Cameron’s death, as they grieve.

A memorial service for Cameron is expected to be held later in August, with the murder investigation still open and forensic work continuing.