Olympic legend Jacques Freitag shot dead and his body dumped in field beside cemetery
World high jump gold medallist Jacques Freitag has been found dead with bullet wounds in a field, two weeks after his mysterious disappearance.
World high jump gold medallist Jacques Freitag has been found dead with bullet wounds in a field, two weeks after his mysterious disappearance.
The troubled retired athlete went missing a couple of weeks ago after visiting his mum’s home in Bronkhorstpruit a few days after his birthday.
Reports at the time said the one-time golden boy of South African sport was down on his luck and out of work while struggling with recreational drugs.
The 42-year-old was picked up from his mum’s shortly after midnight and dropped at a nearby area of Booysens by a mystery man who said that he had work for him.
This was reportedly the last time he was seen alive.
His blood-soaked body was tragically found on Tuesday afternoon with multiple bullet wounds beside Zandfontein Cemetary in Pretoria West.
The ex-athlete’s sister Chrissie Lewis had been leading a hunt for her brother since he vanished on 17 June.
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She suggested he would be easily recognisable being a staggering 6ft8 tall.
South African Police spokesman Brigadier Brenda Muridili confirmed that the man had tragically been shot multiple times - therefore treating the case as a murder.
Mr Freitag was a four-time South African high jump champion and still holds the National Record after clearing 2.38m which he set in a competition in 2005.