“During the course of the day the owner of the farm went out and continued his daily work. Later in the day, a farmworker heard a gunshot and reported it to the owner. However, he did not think anything of it.”
By Monday evening, a woman friend contacted Barnes asking if they had seen Minnie as she was struggling to get hold of him. After an extensive search Barnes found the body at about 8.50pm near a tree with a pistol lying nearby.
“At this stage it appears there is no foul play. However, investigations are ongoing.
“If foul play is evident, the case will change to murder.
“However, at this stage it remains an inquest.”
Questioned about the owner of the firearm, Rheeder said it did not belong to Minnie.
“We are investigating how he came into possession of a firearm – ownership is subject to investigation,” he said.
Police officials with inside knowledge of the case said the firearm was believed to be registered to Barnes.
Gunshot residue samples were taken from Minnie’s hands to determine if he fired the shot.
Asked if a suicide note was found, Rheeder said a note was found on the scene but declined to elaborate.
By Tuesday afternoon Rheeder said a docket of failing to safeguard the firearm would be opened for investigation into to how Minnie got hold of the gun.
Barnes declined to comment when contacted, and said the media should not contact him again.
A friend and former police colleague, who declined to be named, said he was meant to meet him over the weekend.
“He was a hard worker, but also played hard.
“He believed in this case and said he had more information that would shock everyone,” he said.
“I do not believe he would have taken his own life.
“I am aware that he had photographic evidence that he kept with him and did not want to publish it.”
