The body of an American student from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill who had recently moved to South Africa has been found after she went missing in Western Cape.
Brook Cecilia Cheuvront, 20, went hiking on Saturday at Devils Peak at Table Mountain National Park near Cape Town before her body was found on Sunday.
Western Cape police spokesperson, Lieutenant Colonel Malcolm Pojie told IOL that a search party found the woman's body at around 2pm on Sunday.
“We can confirm that the body of the missing hiker was found by a search party at about 2pm on Sunday, 22 September 2024, in an area which is part of Devils Peak and retrieved by EMS helicopter,” said Pojie.
He said an autopsy will be conducted to determine the possible cause of death of the student.
“An inquest was registered for further investigation by Mowbray detectives. An autopsy will be conducted to determine the possible cause of death.”
Brook was on an internship at the University of Cape Town.
Her United States-based father Steve Cheuvront has been left devastated, after he had regularly posted about his daughter’s trip to South Africa.
On August 18, Steve posted pictures of Brook on Facebook, with caption: “Brook enjoying week 1 of South Africa. A short flight and seven hours bus ride and she is now in Lesotho, Africa”.
On September 10, Steve posted on Facebook that “things are going well” regarding Brook’s sojourn in South Africa.
But events took a nasty turn over the weekend, when Steve shared a post seeking “massive prayers” as Brook had not returned from a hike at Table Mountain.
“Please please. Let her be found. It will be daylight there in 90 minutes. Search and rescue. The US ambassador is aware. All resources will be sent. I may be flying over tomorrow” – Steve posted expressing her frustration when Brook went missing.
This post was followed with another: “Please take down all posts looking for Brook. She was recovered. We are devastated. God help me and us,” Steve posted on Sunday.
IOL News