British Hiker's Family Urges Murder Investigation After South African Disappearance

The family of Lorna McSorley, a British woman who disappeared while hiking in South Africa in September 2025, is urging authorities to treat her case as a murder investigation rather than a missing persons inquiry.

McSorley, 71, from Teignmouth, Devon, vanished during a walk with her partner of 30 years, Leon Probert, 82, near the Ghost Mountain Inn in the KwaZulu-Natal province. The couple had set out for a short hike to observe local wildlife. Probert reported that he turned back due to the heat and distance, leaving McSorley to continue alone. She failed to return to the hotel three hours later, prompting an extensive search operation.

Despite the search, no trace of McSorley has been found. Local residents have suggested that she may have been a victim of 'muti' killings, a practice involving rituals that sometimes require human body parts for traditional medicine or magic. These beliefs are reportedly strong in the northern KwaZulu-Natal region.

Geoff Sheward, McSorley's 73-year-old brother, expressed the family's distress over the lack of definitive information. "As bad as it would be to hear any horrible details, knowing nothing is definitely worse," Sheward told The Times. "We are just in limbo, unable to settle her affairs or know how to grieve."

Experts on Zulu culture have indicated that body parts from white individuals are sometimes believed to possess enhanced strength and wealth-attracting properties within certain muti rituals. It is speculated that McSorley may have been targeted and abducted while alone in a remote area.

McSorley and Probert arrived at the Ghost Mountain Inn on September 27, 2025. CCTV footage showed them at the hotel's reception before they departed for a walk around 2:30 p.m. Local police, farmers, volunteers, and rangers conducted a search, which was later expanded. By October 4, detectives had paused active searching and were pursuing other leads, classifying the case as a missing persons inquiry. The family's plea for a murder investigation highlights their desperate need for answers and the possibility of foul play.