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The Disappearance of Rosalind Ballingal

In the morning of August 12, 1969, Rosalind Ballingal, a 20-year-old student of the University of Cape Town, disappeared into the Knysna forest never to be seen again. The thought of a young woman venturing off into the dense forest alone sounds strange enough, but this tragic story only gets weirder.

Who Was Rosalind?

At the time of her disappearance, Rosalind Ballingall was a 6 foot tall woman with red hair and blue eyes. She was not exactly the most studious of her classmates at UCT, and she was known to regularly use drugs, such as hallucinogens. She was also a known member of the so-called “hippie cult” the Cosmic Butterfly. This group was rumored to regularly partake in activities such as orgies, drugs, and rituals. Rosalind was also a rather reserved person in the public eye. She would keep to herself most of the time during her classes and other outings. Eventually, her behavior shifted into something that others found to be off, even by Rosalind’s standard.

The Disappearance

Rosalind seemed to fall into a sudden, deep depression that was so apparent her classmates quickly picked up on her change in behavior. She was more insecure and self-deprecating than usual, and even more isolated from her peers. As an attempt to help her feel better two of her acquaintances, Tanya Geffin and Sasja Sergiev, invited her to stay with thim in a cottage near the Knysna Forest. They arrived at the cottage on August 11, and supposedly spent the day discussing what they would talk about or do while under the influence of drugs. They also talked about different passages from Revelations in the Bible.

The next morning, Rosalind woke up, put her clothes on, picked up her Bible, and disappeared into the forest. Before she left, she told her friends that she was merely going for a walk. She was last seen by two nearby staff members who she questioned about directions to the nearest church. Her friends were not surprised by her absence, and therefore waited until the morning of August 13 to call the local police. One disturbing detail the police noted was that, when they arrived at the cottage, Sasja was simply sitting outside of the cottage playing a flute. When questioned, he stated that he was trying to entice her back to the cabin. Naturally, he was brought in and questioned for weeks, but eventually was released. After several days of tireless searching through and around the Knysna Forest, the search was called off on August 26.

The Cosmic Butterfly

Because of Rosalind’s disappearance, The Cosmic Butterfly was forced into the spotlight by the public and also the police. This group essentially believed in a more radicalized version of Christianity that was focused specifically on the study of Revelations and the end of times. The use of hallucinogens was common in this group, so much so that the group was reportedly established during a rave while under the influence of them. After learning more about the group, members were questioned about Rosalind. According to them, she held a high position in the group known as the “high priestess,” but they never elaborated as to what the duty of that role was. Another important piece of information gathered was that Rosalind was known to be highly anxious about the end of the world.

Conclusions

This disappearance is shrouded in mystery and odd circumstances, and although a part of me wants to tell you that she became possessed by some sort of supernatural being that lured her into the forest for her to be captured by aliens, I do not believe that that is the case with Rosalind. I believe her disappearance was a result of the perfect storm of stressors, exacerbated by the drugs in her system. The fact that she had been previously in a depressive state and known to be anxious about the end of the world, it is completely reasonable that after talking about Revalations and doing drugs in a secluded cabin she was not necessarily thinking clearly. I believe she most likely suffered some sort of panic or breakdown, and eventually resolved that she needed to go to a church right that minute for peace of mind and comfort. During her search, she likely got lost in the dense jungle or something similar. The only unexplainable part is the fact that the entire jungle was scoured and no evidence of her nor a body was found, so maybe there is hope for some sort of paranormal explanation, though I highly doubt this one was anything other than a tragic mix of circumstances that lead to the death of Rosiland Ballingal.