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Katie Leisegang couldn’t believe it when she heard that the burnt body discovered in a field was her old friend.
Siam Lee (20) went missing last Thursday shortly after leaving her workplace in Margaret Maytom Avenue in Durban North.
Police confirmed that a partially burnt body discovered in a cane field near New Hanover on Wednesday afternoon was identified by family members as Siam.
“It [the discovery of her body] has been the most difficult thing to deal with,” Katie (20) told YOU.
Katie still can’t believe that Siam is dead.
“I was thinking yesterday that even though we didn’t talk as often as I would have liked, knowing that she is no longer just a phone call away or always there to help or comfort me is unreal.”
Katie says they had been friends since they were 13 years old.
“We met through a mutual friend of ours and we immediately hit it off. We both liked to have a good time, relaxed together and we would even dare each other to do stupid things.
“She really was possibly one of the most caring and giving people I knew. “
Katie says it took her a while before it really sunk in that her friend was gone.
“At first I didn’t even react but a couple of hours later it just hit me and everything just felt confusing. It’s still so confusing”
She added that it’s hard to describe her friend, but she will always remember how Siam could make the best of a bad situation.
“She was always positive even though she has had a bit of a hard life, she was positive through it all.”
Siam’s body was discovered about 100 km from where she was last seen alive in Durban.
Police spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Thulani Zwane told News24 final confirmation will only be made once DNA results have been received.
According to Sue Foster, a friend of the Lee family, Siam had been receiving threats from an unknown man since October last year. He’d apparently also been stalking her.
CCTV footage taken in Maytom Avenue allegedly shows Siam being abducted by the driver of a black Mercedes with Gauteng registration.
Katie says Siam hadn’t mentioned the man to her or any of their other mutual friends.
“It still doesn’t feel real but we have all been helping each other get through this. Remembering the good times and who she was has helped a lot.”
