Husband of missing Herolds Bay family denies fraud, abuse claims

The 35-year-old Heidi Scheepers with her husband Ettienne. Photo: Facebook

George - As the search for a Herolds Bay girl who went missing with her mother and younger brother continues, her father has dispelled rumours circulating on the reasons for the trio's disappearance. 

Last week Tuesday, 35-year-old Heidi Scheepers and her two children - six-year-old daughter Cozette and two-year-old son Hugo - went missing after going for a walk on Voëlklip beach at about 6pm. 

On Thursday, police recovered the body of Hugo from the wreckage of the VW Caravelle the family had driven to the beach that was spotted at the bottom of a cliff. 

Two days later, Heidi's body was found floating in the sea and recovered as well. 

Heidi's husband Ettienne Scheepers in an interview with George Herald denied allegations that insurance fraud, financial issues, physical abuse and extramarital affairs played any role in the their disappearance.

Scheepers said the family was financially sound, their businesses were doing well and that there was no fraud or physical abuse on his part. 

He also denied Cozette's condition, she was born with a very rare condition called Holoprosencephaly (HPE), played any role in the tragedy, explaining that the little girl had support from her family, caretakers and special needs school. 

Addressing claims of Heidi's depression, Scheepers confirmed that while the mother of two had a "dip" last year, her condition was under control and she was fine at the time of her disappearance. 

He also assured the clients of their various businesses that despite the tragedy, business would "carry on as usual" and that they would continue serving their clients as in the past.