The mother of a 6-year-old girl who has been missing in South Africa for weeks has been arrested and charged with selling her daughter, The Associated Press reported.
The disappearance of the girl, Joslin Smith, captured the attention of the country as officials called on “every citizen, every person to help.” Joslin was reported missing from her home near Saldanha Bay, about 75 miles north of Cape Town on South Africa’s west coast.
The girl’s mother, Racquel Chantel Smith – who goes by Kelly Smith – was arrested Thursday and charged with kidnapping and selling or trafficking the child.
Smith’s neighbors to local media outlets that Smith sold her daughter for $1,000.
Last week, 300 South African naval officers joined a dog unit and drones in the search for the child which has transfixed the country. Police say they fear the child was taken to a different city or even out of the country, the AP reported.
#sapsWC Western Cape detectives are currently questioning four individuals, two men and two women, as part of an extensive investigation into the disappearance of six-year-old Joslin Smith from Diazville in Saldanha Bay on the West Coast. NPhttps://t.co/udCNnyRGOb pic.twitter.com/uHiE5Vco8c
— SA Police Service 🇿🇦 (@SAPoliceService) March 6, 2024
In addition to Smith’s arrest, police took three others into custody. Two men and a woman were also charged with kidnapping and human trafficking. One of the men is Smith’s boyfriend, Jacquen Appollis, according to the BBC.
The four suspects didn’t enter a plea in response to the charges and another court hearing was scheduled for next week. They will remain in custody, prosecutors said.
According to police, some clothing believed to belong to Joslin were found with blood stains. A knife was found near the clothing.
Smith had told The Daily Voice she felt her daughter would be found.
“My motherly instincts are telling me my daughter is still alive and in this area. We will find her, I will walk on foot to find her. I will look in every little shack, I’m going to do it by myself if I have to,” Smith said.
Western Cape province police commissioner Thembisile Patekile told reporters that more arrests could be made. “At this stage, we do not have a child,” he said. “Our ultimate goal is to find the child. We still want to find that child alive.”
A 250,000 rand – about $13,400 in U.S. dollars – reward has been offered to anyone with information on her whereabouts.
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