Pregnant woman hacked to death in front of husband and toddler son while they were sleeping in luxury resort
EASTERN CAPE: A pregnant young mother was stabbed to death in her bed on September 17 while she was on a vacation with her family.
The incident took place at a luxury South African resort where the woman was sleeping with her husband, Matthew, and their toddler son when they were attacked at 3 am. The woman, Karen Turner, 31, was three months pregnant at the time.
Matthew was also stabbed repeatedly while he lay next to his wife at the Hluleka Nature Reserve located in the Eastern Cape province. Late in the night, two men who were armed with knives sneaked into the lodge and started attacking the couple.
As reported by the police, Karen, who was a primary school teacher in Underberg, died instantly. Matthew was able to fight back and survived. He was rushed to Pietermaritzburg and underwent surgery.
The couple's unborn child also died in the gruesome attack while their toddler son survived and was not injured. The motive behind the murder is currently not known. The crime in South Africa is spiraling out of control with a shocking 21,000 murders and 45,000 rapes reported in 2018.
The police have revealed that one suspect is being hunted while the second has not yet been identified. Karen's older brother Ian Crouch shared with News 24, "Matthew’s recollection was that he was woken up by being stabbed in the stomach by a guy on his side of the bed and there was another chap stabbing my sister."
Friends who were present with the couple on vacation woke up to the sounds of Hayden screaming and crying and the sounds of a struggle.
Eastern Cape Parks and Tourism Agency CEO Vuyani Dayimani shared, "The two guests were booked in from Monday to Thursday and police were called after a stabbing incident. The police have confirmed one visitor passed away and another is in hospital."
"As an agency who manages the reserve, we are shocked that his taken place in one of our flagship coastal reserves as the safety and security of our guests is our key priority," he said.