Police investigate Gephardt Doeseb’s death at Rehoboth

The family of Rehoboth schoolboy Gephardt Doeseb (11) is seeking answers after his body was discovered in the Oanob bridge riverbed following his disappearance from school last Friday.

According to the Namibian Police weekend crime report, Gephardt, a Grade 5 pupil at a school in Rehoboth, reportedly did not return home from school on 11 September.

His body was discovered by girls who were herding goats at the Oanob bridge riverbed between 11 and 12 September at about 13h16.

Police spokesperson Kauna Shikwambi says bruises were observed on the boy’s body and that his next of kin were informed.

“The investigation is ongoing,” the police report states.

Hardap deputy commissioner and regional crime coordinator Theodore Kotungondo says police are investigating the circumstances surrounding the boy’s death.

He says investigators are looking into people close to the boy to establish what happened.

Gephardt’s death has left his family struggling to understand how the young boy, who had left for school, ended up dead in the riverbed.

His uncle, Richard Doeseb, said the family was devastated by the death and described the injuries he observed at the scene.

He says the boy had severe injuries to the right side of his face and that blood was observed at the scene.

“His face was full of blood. It looks like he bled from the nose and from the ears,” Doeseb says.

Doeseb says Gephardt’s belongings, including his shoes and belt, were found at the scene.

“There was nothing missing from him,” he says.

The boy was wearing casual clothes at the time of his death, according to his uncle, who explains that learners at his school were allowed to wear ordinary clothing on Fridays if they could afford the required payment.

Gephardt’s mother, Rodensia Doeses, says her son had previously expressed concerns about her former relationship.

“I cannot believe that someone can do that to my little boy, my son and my only child who was very protective of me and whoever is against me,” she says.

Doeses told The Namibian that she was not present at the time of the incident because she was not in town and was only informed about what happened by family members. “As we speak I am on my way to Rehoboth, to our family house.”

Kotungondo says the police are investigating people close to Gephardt, including a person who was part of the search for the boy before his body was discovered. He says the person is currently regarded as a person of interest and not a suspect.

The circumstances surrounding how the Grade 5 pupil died remain unclear, with police yet to release further details.

The investigation is ongoing.

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