JOHANNESBURG (AP) — South African police said Saturday that another woman’s body had been found near Johannesburg, bringing to 10 the number of victims in a series of killings under investigation.
Police began investigating after the bodies of three women were found in July and August within about 7 kilometers (4.3 miles) of one another in the Ekurhuleni municipality, east of Johannesburg.
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A poster is seen at a scene of a discovery of the body of a 38-year-old woman last week while jogging, in Kempton Park, east of Johannesburg, South Africa, Thursday, Sept. 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Themba Hadebe)
Court workers are seen at the entrance of the Boksburg Magistrate Court, east of Johannesburg, South Africa, Monday, Sept. 21, 2026, where suspects appeared in connection with one of a series of killings of women near Johannesburg. (AP Photo/Themba Hadebe)
A women's church group pay their respect at a scene of a discovery of the body of a 38-year-old woman last week while jogging, in Kempton Park, east of Johannesburg, South Africa, Thursday, Sept. 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Themba Hadebe)
A body, believed to be that of a woman, is found along a road in KwaThema, Springs, South Africa, Tuesday, Sept. 15, 2026. (AP Photo)
Forensic investigators work at the site where the body of a woman was discovered on the outskirts of Johannesburg, South Africa, Thursday, Sept. 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Themba Hadebe)
The discovery of six bodies in Ekurhuleni over 10 days earlier this month raised fears that a serial killer or killers were responsible.
Two women were arrested and charged last week with murder in relation to the ninth body, discovered on Sept. 17. The victim had been stabbed and had her throat cut, police said. Police did not link the two women charged to any of the other killings.
Provincial police commissioner Lt. Gen. Tommy Mthombeni told state broadcaster SABC on Saturday that investigators believed the ninth killing was an isolated case but could not rule out the possibility that some of the other cases were linked.
Police have identified similarities in some of the killings but said they had not found conclusive evidence that the same person or people were responsible.
All nine of the bodies discovered before Saturday were those of women in their 20s or 30s, according to police. Several were naked or partially clothed and left in open areas near main roads. Officers from the Investigative Psychology Unit, which specializes in complex or serial violent crimes, are part of the investigation.
Police released limited details about the 10th body, which was found early Saturday, and did not immediately identify the victim.
“We can only confirm the discovery of the body,” the South African Police Service said in a statement. “Crime scene management and all the necessary role players are currently on the scene.”
South Africa has high rates of violent crime and violence against women. The killings in Ekurhuleni have sparked a national outcry over women's safety.
AP Africa news: https://apnews.com/hub/africa
A poster is seen at a scene of a discovery of the body of a 38-year-old woman last week while jogging, in Kempton Park, east of Johannesburg, South Africa, Thursday, Sept. 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Themba Hadebe)
Court workers are seen at the entrance of the Boksburg Magistrate Court, east of Johannesburg, South Africa, Monday, Sept. 21, 2026, where suspects appeared in connection with one of a series of killings of women near Johannesburg. (AP Photo/Themba Hadebe)
A women's church group pay their respect at a scene of a discovery of the body of a 38-year-old woman last week while jogging, in Kempton Park, east of Johannesburg, South Africa, Thursday, Sept. 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Themba Hadebe)
A body, believed to be that of a woman, is found along a road in KwaThema, Springs, South Africa, Tuesday, Sept. 15, 2026. (AP Photo)
Forensic investigators work at the site where the body of a woman was discovered on the outskirts of Johannesburg, South Africa, Thursday, Sept. 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Themba Hadebe)
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) — More than 70,000 customers were without electricity in the U.S. Northeast on Saturday, the effect of a powerful nor’easter expected to create dangerous conditions through the weekend. Forecasters warned of gale winds that could down trees and heavy rain that could put roads underwater.
Tens of millions of people are in the path of the storm was already beginning to lash the region with strong winds and rain as the region braces for much more. Dangerous flooding is expected along the Mid-Atlantic coast, particularly near New Jersey and Delaware, according to the National Weather Service.
“This storm is expected to bring major coastal flooding to the Mid-Atlantic Coast over multiple high tide cycles through the weekend,” the weather service said Saturday. “Prepare immediately for significant inundation in low-lying areas near the shore, including roads underwater and impacts to homes and businesses.”
In the coastal New Jersey borough of Surf City, water, with waves rippling along its surface, flooded the streets, inundating some homes. About 34 miles (54.7 kilometers) up the coast in the borough of Manasquan, where some roads were also flooding, Mayor Mike Mangan said he expected “a lot of water in the streets for a long time.” A voluntary evacuation had been issued earlier in some low-lying areas of the community.
Concerts were canceled, along with dozens of flights going into airports in Boston, Nantucket and Martha’s Vineyard on Friday and Saturday. Several airlines were offering to waive some change or cancellation fees for some East Coast flights through the weekend.
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul urged people to use caution. She said coastal flooding is the biggest threat, but it will also bring heavy rains, powerful winds and waves as high as 20 feet (six meters).
“The rain is underway and while it’s only half an inch or so thus far, mark my words: Much more is coming,” the governor said.
Brian Kelly, the mayor of the tiny New Jersey beach community Sea Bright, said the borough is bracing for winds up to 50 mph (80 kph) and flooding that could reach up to 6 feet (1.8 meters) on some streets. Officials expect the flooding to start Saturday and worsen by midday.
“It’s going to be worse than average. We do have probably one or two flooding events a year, sometimes more, sometimes less, but I think this one will be closer to an Irene-scale flooding event,” Kelly said, referencing the 2011 storm that caused major flooding in the Northeast. “I hope I’m wrong, but that’s my gut feeling.”
Kelly hopes hundreds of residents living in low-lying areas will consider evacuating. He said the town will open its recreation center for evacuees.
Peak wind gusts could approach 60 to 65 mph (97 to 105 kph) on Cape Cod, Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket on Friday night and Saturday, compared with about 50 to 55 mph (80 to 89 kph) around Boston and 35 to 40 mph (56 to 64 kph) farther inland, according to Matthew Belk, a meteorologist with NWS in Norton, Massachusetts.
“It’s definitely going to be a case of the closer to the coast you are, the more impacts from the storm you’re likely to see,” Belk said.
Belk said nor'easters are not unusual as New England moves into fall, but one concern this early in the season is that leaves remain on the trees, creating more wind resistance. That could increase the risk of downed limbs, which in turn can cause power outages and leave debris in roads, he said.
Along the Atlantic coasts of New Jersey and Delaware, wind gusts could reach 60 mph (96.6 kph), according to NWS. In southeastern Connecticut and eastern Long Island, New York, gusts could get almost as high, potentially downing tree limbs and power lines.
Air travel was also being disrupted, with Boston particularly hard hit. Flight-tracking service FlightAware reported 39 cancellations at Boston Logan International Airport between 6 a.m. and 10 a.m. Saturday, compared with 22 at New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport. Another 12 flights were delayed at Logan.
Meanwhile, the Red Sox announced their weekend series against the Chicago Cubs would be adjusted. The team moved the Sunday afternoon game to Friday to create a split doubleheader. Separately, Ed Sheeran announced that his high-profile Friday and Saturday shows at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts, would be canceled due to the storm.
The public ferry service connecting Cape Cod with the islands of Nantucket and Martha’s Vineyard was experiencing widespread cancellations Friday due to strong winds and choppy water.
In Rhode Island, ferries were also canceled for Block Island. The disrupted ferry service was expected to also spill into Saturday.
For people who regularly travel to and from the islands, the possibility of getting stuck on one side or the other is “part of life,” said Sean Driscoll, a spokesperson for the Woods Hole, Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket Steamship Authority. Most people have backup plans in place for when boats are canceled.
“It’s a nuisance, but you know, we know what to do with this kind of stuff at this point,” he said. “This is not out of the realm of ordinary.”
Ashley Destino of Gloucester, a coastal city in northern Massachusetts, enjoyed a stroll along the beach with her two young children before preparing to hunker down at home during the storm.
“We came to the beach on Friday afternoon because we knew we were going to be inside all weekend,” said Destino, who has Legos and arts and crafts activities prepared to entertain her two children, ages 7 and 4.
She also prepared by securing her boat with additional lines, and her husband pulled out a generator in case the electricity goes out.
Willingham reported from Boston. Associated Press writers Michael Casey in Boston; Rodrique Ngowi in Gloucester, Massachusetts; and Anthony Izaguirre in New York contributed to this report.
John Garrisi, left, and Gaige Graf move an outdoor table away from the shorefront during the early stages of a nor'easter storm, Friday, Sept. 25, 2026, in Gloucester, Mass. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)
A surfer rides a wave during a nor'easter storm, Friday, Sept. 25, 2026, in Gloucester, Mass.(AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)
Chuck and Teresa Palmieri move lawn furniture to a safe location at a relative's seaside property as the Atlantic Ocean kicks up surf during the early stages of a nor'easter storm, Friday, Sept. 25, 2026, in Gloucester, Mass. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)
Brenda Malloy enjoys a nor'easter storm, Friday, Sept. 25, 2026, in Gloucester, Mass. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)
Surf breaks along the rocky coastline, with the twin lighthouses of Thatcher Island visible in the distance, during the early stages of a nor’easter Friday, Sept. 25, 2026, in Gloucester, Mass. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)
