British woman uses Facebook to trap man who raped and murdered her aunt

Lehanne Sergison may not be a detective but she played a critical role in finding the man who raped and murdered her aunt six years ago. The suspect, Andrew Ndlovu, had absconded after the murder of Christine Robinson in South Africa. Police believed that since 2014, the suspect had been hiding in Zimbabwe. Sergison created a fake profile to try to capture him. Finally, an emotional appeal went viral on Facebook leading to a fruitful tip-off. The suspect denies murdering his former employer.

Robinson, who was originally from Speke, Merseyside, opened a lodge close to Marakele National Park, South Africa. She ran the lodge alone since the death of her husband in 2012. In 2014, the retired teacher was found dead on the lodge. A post mortem examination revealed that the 59-year-old had been raped and then stabbed to death. Around £3,500 was stolen as well.

The police rounded up all of the lodge's employees for questioning. Ndlovu evaded the police and absconded to Zimbabwe. Over the next six years police were unable to track the suspect down.

Sergison decided to take action instead of waiting for the police. The 49-year-old woman from Bromley, Kent followed Ndlovu's social media profile and that of his friends. She then set up a fake profile with the name Missy Falcao. Tracking down the profile her 30-year-old target was using, she established social media contact.

Risking her mental health, Sergison started flirting with Ndlovu who was also using a fake name. She continued to chat with the man sitting over 6,000 miles away. He finally shared his mobile number and fixed a date in Johannesburg, South Africa. The amateur sleuth informed the police. The police started tracking Ndlovu's phone. However, he did not show up for the date and soon after, his phone went offline.

The devastated woman resorted to asking social media users for help. Her emotional post on July 30 appealed to South Africans to help track Ndlovu down. She posted a picture of the man on her post.

According to the Daily Mail, a woman contacted Sergison and informed her that the alleged murderer was working for her father. The tip-off finally led to the arrest of Ndlovu. He denied the murder of Robinson and has been awaiting his bail hearing.

Having helped find her aunt's killer, Sergison shared the trauma caused by Robinson's death. She had to seek counselling to cope with the stress of talking to the suspected murderer. The condition of her mental health made her family urge Sergison to cease her quest. However, the determined woman did her part in the capture of Ndlovu.