The family of 28-year-old Gracious Nkomo has finally been able to put a name to one of the women at the centre of the growing Ekurhuleni murder investigation.
Nkomo was identified by her family at the Germiston Mortuary on Thursday, a week after her body was found along the R21 in Kempton Park on September 10.
She was the third woman found in the area that day. Police said she was found partially clothed.
Her identification brings the number of identified women in the wider investigation to four, as police continue working to establish what happened to the nine women whose bodies have been found across the East Rand.
For Nkomo's family, the identification brings some certainty after days of waiting. But questions about how she died and whether her death is connected to the other cases remain unanswered.
Police have acknowledged that there might be links between some of the cases, although investigators have not concluded that all nine women were killed by the same person.
Acting Gauteng police commissioner Major-General Fred Kekana said investigators were comparing evidence and conducting further forensic work before any connections could be confirmed.
The investigation has resulted in one suspect being arrested in connection with the first murder recorded in July. The suspect remains in custody.
Police are also pursuing another person of interest, although investigators have not disclosed the person's identity or said which of the cases they might be connected to.
Kekana said the investigation was gaining momentum and indicated that further arrests could be imminent.
Police have also appealed to anyone with information about the women or the circumstances surrounding their deaths to come forward.
On Thursday, the investigation widened again after a ninth woman's body was discovered in Dawn Park, Boksburg.
Police said the woman, believed to be about 30 years old, was found partially clothed and that preliminary information suggested her body might have been dumped at the location.
Investigators were working at the scene to determine the circumstances surrounding her death.
The developments mean the investigation is moving on two fronts — identifying the women whose families are waiting for answers and determining whether the deaths share a common thread.
For Nkomo's family, however, the immediate uncertainty has changed. She is no longer an unidentified victim in a growing police investigation. She has a name, a family who can mourn her and a case in which investigators must establish what happened to her.
Police said they would continue pursuing every available lead to ensure those responsible were brought to justice.