Search continues for missing Pretoria mother Serah-Lee Venter

The family and friends of a 27-year-old Pretoria mother are appealing to the public for help finding her after she disappeared more than two weeks ago.

Serah-Lee Venter was last seen on 29 September in Teresa Park, Akasia. Her loved ones say they are desperate for information about her whereabouts and are urging anyone who may have seen her to come forward.

Klarize van Graan, a friend of Venter, said the family only learnt over the weekend that she was missing. Attempts to reach her have been unsuccessful, with her phone switched off.

“Everybody is stressed,” Van Graan said.

She added that speculation about Venter’s disappearance had not produced any confirmed leads.

What Serah-Lee Venter was wearing

Venter was reportedly last seen wearing blue shorts and a blue sleeveless T-shirt.

She is described as petite, with dyed blonde hair, green eyes and a tattoo on the right side of her collarbone.

Venter has two children, aged nine years and six months. Her loved ones are appealing for information that could help bring her home.

“We hope someone has seen her, or knows where she is, for the sake of her children,” Van Graan said.

The family has reported her disappearance to police and distributed missing-person posters to various organisations in an effort to find her.

Van Graan said those close to Venter remain committed to the search and hope even a small piece of information could help investigators establish what happened.

Criminologist warns about unresolved missing-person cases

Criminologist and criminal profiler Dr Pixie du Toit said unresolved missing-person cases can leave families without answers and contribute to fear among women.

She expressed concern about the time that had passed since Venter disappeared, noting that reporting a disappearance quickly can help investigators follow up on potential sightings and other leads.

“The quicker a case is reported, the more likely it is that someone might have seen something,” Du Toit said.

She also raised concerns about the lack of public updates in other cases involving missing women in Ekurhuleni, saying that attention around such cases can fade while families are still searching for answers.

Du Toit urged women not to assume that they would never find themselves in a vulnerable situation.

Anyone with information urged to come forward

Venter’s family and friends are asking anyone who may have seen her since 29 September, or who has information that could help locate her, to contact the police.

Anyone with relevant information is encouraged to share it with investigators rather than rely on unverified speculation about her disappearance.

For her loved ones, the priority remains finding Venter and establishing what happened to her.

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Source: The Citizen