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Two People Found Shot on von Rantzau Family Safari Estate

Police say both deaths involved firearms and autopsies are under way to determine cause and whether criminal inquiries are needed.

Overview

  • The family's financial manager, Arno Koën, was found shot on May 31 and heiress Caroline von Rantzau was found shot the next day on June 1 on the Leeuwfontein hunting reserve.
  • South African police confirmed firearms were involved, carried out two days of on-site evidence collection and interviews, and ordered post-mortem examinations.
  • Investigators have not publicly disclosed precise circumstances at either scene and have not named or announced any suspects.
  • Tabloid reports say Koën was shot with a 9mm pistol and von Rantzau with a .357 hunting rifle and one witness told media the rifle may have come from her father's gun cabinet, but those claims remain unverified by police.
  • The deaths have shocked the prominent Hamburg shipping family; von Rantzau ran parts of the estate and was close to Koën, and officials say autopsy and forensic results will guide whether the case becomes a formal criminal investigation.