Two bodies of a couple were on Monday found in decomposed state by relatives in their matrimonial house – in a recent incident that has driven villagers into shock in Nkambako, South Africa.

According to Police spokesperson, Col Moatshe Ngoepe, family members of the couple grew suspicious after numerous failed attempts to contact them and decided to go look for them at their home.

“The family then decided to go to the house of the man. On arrival, they forced opened the door and were welcomed by a bad smell coming from the house,” he said.

They found a 36 year old man and a 29 year old woman lying dead on the bed in a state of decomposition and immediately called the police.

“The deceased were identified as Phindile Rikhotso and Lucky Ramahlabane. The motive behind this incident is not clear at this stage but domestic related violence may not be ruled out,” said Ngoepe.

He said the cause of death was currently unknown and would be determined by the postmortem examination that will still be conducted.

Ngoepe said police investigations were still continuing.