‘Facebook Rapist’ convict faked his death and escaped prison, police say
Global News
Thabo Bester was believed dead after charred remains were found in his cell in 2022. However, a recent autopsy found the remains belong to someone else.
Police in South Africa are on the hunt for a convicted rapist they say faked his own death in a fire before escaping lockup.
Branded the “Facebook Rapist,” Thabo Bester was serving a life sentence for allegedly luring victims on the social media platform before raping and robbing them. At least one victim was killed.
In 2012, he was sentenced to life in prison for rape, robbery and murder.
In May of 2022, authorities believed Bester died after setting himself on fire in his private cell of the Mangaung Correctional Centre in Bloemfontein, South Africa
“He was discovered at about 03:35 (Tuesday) morning, where his cell was burnt, he was found on the floor,” a Department of Correctional Services spokesperson said, as reported by the BBC at the time.
However, the theory has now changed and over the weekend police revealed that an autopsy and DNA tests showed the charred remains belong to someone else and that they believe that person died as a result of blunt force trauma to the head before being set ablaze.
“At this point our priority is to find this fugitive of justice and establish exactly how he faked his death,” police spokesperson Athlenda Mathe told AFP on Monday, confirming that a new murder investigation has been opened.
The police have not revealed if they know the identity of the human remains or how the person might have been related to the prison.