A German millionaire heiress was shot dead at a luxury safari resort in South Africa
Caroline von Rantzau, 26, heiress to the million-dollar German shipping company DAL, was found dead under mysterious circumstances at her family’s luxury safari lodge in the Limpopo province in northern South Africa – a day after her friend, the family’s financial director, was murdered.
German newspaper Bild reported that gunshots were heard at the property on June 1, and von Rantsau was found with a gunshot wound.Police believe von Rantzau was shot. The newspaper reported that it was a .357-caliber hunting rifle, the same weapon that her father, Dr. Eberhardt von Rantzau, had in his gun safe.On May 31, the financial director of the family estate, Arnaud Coen, was found dead on the property. The 44-year-old employee was killed by a 9mm bullet.South African Police Services spokeswoman Malesela Ledwaba told the website: “The results of the autopsy will give investigators information about the actual causes of death and will determine whether investigations will be opened against other people.”
The mystery deepens as von Rantzau’s death was initially ruled an accident
The mystery surrounding the two murders deepened as initial reports claimed that the shipping company claimed that von Rantzau had been killed in a car accident.Bild reported that Quinn, von Rantzau’s guide and foster father, was responsible for reservations and finances at the property.
Von Rantzau is starting to build an impressive property portfolio of her own, having just purchased two properties in the sprawling, untamed grounds of the South African province, near the border with Mozambique.She spent her time caring for animals on the family farm, where antelope, horses, wildebeest, impala, mongoose, monitors and birds live, according to the website. DAL, which sold its container lines business to Hapag-Lloyd in 2022, is a leading brand of chemical tankers across Europe, the company said. Dr. Eberhardt von Rantzau is part of the third generation of family ownership of the company founded by John T. Esperger in 1924.Authorities have not yet explained exactly what happened, and no suspects have been identified. However, there are no other people currently under investigation.
