A disturbing new claim in the St Stithians murder-suicide alleges that Ethan Coetzee illicited controlling and abusive behaviour towards his girlfriend, Cameron Waldeck-Cooks, sending her more than 700 texts a day.
The teens’ bodies were discovered at a Mpulanga game reserve in August following a hiking trip.
Cameron allegedly died from strangulation/suffocation, while it has been reported that Ethan took his own life.
ST STITHIANS: ‘ABUSIVE’ RELATIONSHIP COMES UNDER THE SPOTLIGHT
Over the weekend, new details in the St Stithians murder-suicide investigation came to light.
The report shared information about the couples’s alleged toxic relationship, with claims that Ethan Coetzee, a 2025 matriculant, bombarded his Grade 11 girlfriend over 22 0000 WhatsApp texts in a four week period – over 700 texts a day.
The messages, sent from early morning to late at night, included thousands of declarations of love. It also included demands, questions, and accusations of a reported jealous and controlling nature. Ethan reportedly demanded to monitor Cameron’s study sessions and insisted she “behave like a wife”.
The phone records shared by Cameron’s family representatives claimed that she had ended their relationship in early July 2026. A few weeks later, the couple was found dead during a hiking trip in the Sabie game reserve.
Subsequent autopsies indicated Cameron died by strangulation/suffocation, while Ethan died by suicide. Police initially opened an inquest, but later confirmed that they were investigating a murder-suicide.
In recent weeks, the Waldeck-Cooks have expressed their public concerns about police ignoring phone records, claiming that the deceased’s cellphones had been returned without a full forensic data download on the same day their bodies had been discovered
COERCIVE CONTROL, SAYS GBV ACTIVIST
Meanwhile, GBV activist Bella Monsoon has suggested that the relationship between the St Stithians teens exhbited signs of “coercve control”
In previous reports, it emerged that Ethan Coetzee, a 2025 matriculant who played in the first-team rugby, as a “jealous” and “controlling” boyfriend who had access to Cameron Waldeck Cooks’ social media accounts and phone.
Ethan had reportedly become “enraged” at his girlfriend, who had befriended male learners at school. He also allegedly withdrew from studying at Stellenbosch University, as he did not want to be away from her.
Monsoon said of the behaviours: “Coercive control does not just exist physically; it can be digital too. Monitoring messages, demanding passwords, policing who someone speaks to, tracking their activity, becoming angry over ordinary interactions.
She continued: “None of these behaviours automaticall means somebod will become violent, but together they can form a wide pattern of coercive control. And when a young woman loses her life and circumstances are already being investigated as urdr, digital evidence, relating to control, intimidation or relationship dynamic can be incredibl important”.