Dubai unites to find missing South African woman

DUBAI - Members of a South African family are scouring the city for their relative who has been missing for more than a week after being beaten up with a baseball bat outside her Al Barsha home.

By Zoe Sinclair and Mary Nammour

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Published: Sat 30 Aug 2008, 1:27 AM

Last updated: Thu 23 Feb 2023, 11:45 AM

Dubai Police are interrogating a British national after neighbours claimed to have seen the man, identified as her ex-boyfriend, repeatedly hitting her with a baseball bat before dragging her into her car on August 20.

She was bleeding from the head. KerryWinter, 35, and her car, a gun-metal Ford Explorer with a Dubai licence plate number 86914, have been missing ever since. Kerry’s brother, Kurt Winter, is desperately seeking information about his sister’s whereabouts, even making an online appeal ‘Help Us Find Kerry’ through networking site Facebook which has nearly 900 members offering support.


An officer from the Bur Dubai police station confirmed to Khaleej Times that a British national was detained by police in connection with the disappearance of Kerry. “We are carrying out extensive search operations for Kerry around Dubai.

In the meantime, we are interrogating a man for suspected involvement in the case,” said a police officer. Kurt and his son-inlaw David Giles arrived in Dubai from South Africa on Tuesday, after Kerry’s colleagues, from International Conferences and Exhibitions, contacted them.


“Her neighbours say it was quite a severe beating,” Kurt said. “They tried to come to her rescue but he turned on them with the baseball bat.

She was on the ground bleeding from her head, he hit her head and dragged her and shoved her into the car.”

Since the pair’s arrival, they’ve been doing everything they can to find Kerry. “We’ve been talking to the police, all her friends, searching malls to find her car, trying everything to find her,” Kurt said

The pair have not been able to find Kerry at medical centres around the city. They say police were unclear as to how severe her injuries appear from the blood found at the scene.

“Kerry is very private. Her friends don't know much but she had mentioned about some expatriate ladies whom she had met on the beach. We haven't been able to contact them,” he said. “We don't know what to do. We hope that may be if people see her, they'll be able to help.”


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