Mother's heartbreak: Son found in morgue months after hit-and-run by off-duty cop
Alex Scott, 21, whose tragic death has left a mother heartbroken after months of searching.
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A mom's Valentine’s Day turned into heartbreak after receiving news that her 21-year-old son had been lying in a mortuary for months after he was fatally injured in a crash in Bellville.
It is alleged that the driver responsible for the crash was an off-duty police officer, although the circumstances surrounding the incident, which occurred on November 30, 2025, are still under investigation.
The devastated mom, Abigail Scott, said that the reality of her son Alex’s death has still not sunk in.
Scott explained: “I last saw Alex on 23 November. I still have the WhatsApp messages on my phone because he was staying at the Paint City Safe Space Shelter.
Scott says the family spent weeks searching for him.
She said: “For two months, we went to every shelter, but we couldn’t find Alex. We even went to the police station to fill out a missing persons report.
“But I knew something was wrong because Alex would have phoned me or his sister.”
She says the devastating news only came months later.
“On Valentine’s Day, police contacted my daughter to say Alex had been in the mortuary since November 30.”
Documents seen by the Cape Argus sister publication, Daily Voice state that the driver of a Mercedes-Benz allegedly knocked over a pedestrian before leaving the scene.
The report further states that the driver was allegedly later picked up by a marked police vehicle.
Police spokesperson Colonel Andrè Traut said: “A culpable homicide case docket was registered following the death of a male on 30 November 2025, and the investigation remains ongoing.
“It is further alleged that an off-duty police officer was the driver of the vehicle involved, and that he was removed from the scene by two police officers attached to Ravensmead police station.
“These serious allegations are not taken lightly by SAPS management, and are now the subject of a formal investigation.
“Should any SAPS member be found to have acted unlawfully, they will face the consequences.
“As the investigation has not yet been finalised, we will refrain from providing additional comment at this premature stage.”
Independent Police Investigative Directorate (IPID) spokesperson Phaladi Shuping told the matter does not fall under its mandate.
SAPS spokesperson Colonel Andrè Traut, meanwhile, confirmed that a culpable homicide case was opened following the death.
Traut said: “These serious allegations are not taken lightly by SAPS management and are now the subject of a formal investigation. Should any SAPS member be found to have acted unlawfully, they will face the consequences.”
When asked if the officer had been suspended, Traut declined to comment, saying only that the “investigation is ongoing.”