Trio Exchanged Terrifying Texts Before Killing Couple And Feeding Them To Crocodile

Trio Exchanged Terrifying Texts Before Killing Couple And Feeding Them To Crocodile

The trio accused of killing 63-year-old botanist Dr. Rachel Saunders and her husband Rod in South Africa before feeding their bodies to crocodiles texted one another about “hunting” the couple before their deaths. Aslam Del Vecchio, his wife Bibi Fatima Patel, and Mussa Ahmad Jackson have all been arrested for the murders and also charged with kidnap, theft, and robbery with aggravating circumstances, according to The Daily Star.

According to prosecutors, the trio stole more than £37,000 ($46,000) from the couple after murdering them, wrapping their bodies in sleeping bags, and tossing them into the crocodile-infested river.

“Around February 10 the investigating officer received information that Rodney Saunders and his wife Dr. Rachel Saunders had been kidnapped in the KwaZulu-Natal region,” the Durban High Court heard.

“It was established on February 13 that the defendants were drawing money from ATMs which amounted to theft of R734,000 and there was the robbery of their Toyota Land Cruiser and camping gear. It is alleged that between February 10 and 15 at the Ngoye Forest the accused did unlawfully and intentionally kill Rachel Saunders and between the same dates did unlawfully and intentionally kill Rodney Saunders.”

This was a planned killing, with Del Vecchio, Patel, and Jackson – all of whom are said to have ties to ISIS – exchanging terrifying text messages prior to the murders. The texts referred to the “elderly couple” being a “good hunt” and others referenced “killing the kuffar.”

The injuries the couple’s bodies sustained were horrific, with the pathologist who performed the couple’s autopsies saying: “I performed the autopsy and I was not sure as to whether it was a male or a female body given its advanced decomposed state and due to the crocodile injuries.”

“She had been dismembered. There were missing limbs – the right arm and a leg was not there. The groin was totally eaten out and there was no breast tissue. There was no way to determine the gender. I also saw fractures on the skull, spine, neck, and ribcage. There was no hair. There were also multiple stab wounds.”

The cause of the deaths of Rachel Saunders and Rodney was determined to be strangulation and stabbing.

Jennifer Still is a writer and editor with more than 10 years of experience. The managing editor of Bolde, she has bylines in Vanity Fair, Business Insider, The New York Times, Glamour, Bon Appetit, and many more. You can follow her on Twitter @jenniferlstill
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