A mother in South Africa whose 6-year-old daughter has been missing for nearly three weeks has been arrested and charged with kidnapping, selling and trafficking the baby girl, reports said Thursday. Associated Press. The latest revelations have sparked outrage in the impoverished coastal community where the family is from.
Authorities called on “every citizen, every person” to help search for 6-year-old Jocelyn Smith. There are concerns that she may have been taken to another city or country as part of her human trafficking. The report noted that in the days after the girl’s disappearance, neighbors in the area suggested that her mother had sold her for about $1,000.
Emotions ran high last week when children’s clothing was found discarded near their home. There were bloodstains on his clothes and a knife nearby.
The girl’s mother, Kelly Smith, whose full name is Raquel Chantel Smith, has been charged with kidnapping and human trafficking, the Associated Press reported. Two men and a woman were also charged in the incident.
One of the men involved in this horrific incident is Smith’s boyfriend, Jacken Apolis. Kelly claimed that she left her daughter with Apolis while she went to work on February 19th.
The girl went missing on the same day.
kilo report 300 South African naval officers are working with drones and dog units to search for the girl.
Smith reportedly said he believed his daughter would be found.
“My maternal instinct tells me that my daughter is still alive and in this area. We will find her, I will walk to find her. We will look at all the small cabins. And if I have to, I’ll do it myself,” Smith said.
Prosecutors reportedly said the four adults planned to kidnap Jocelyn and intentionally sold, delivered and traded her, according to the Associated Press. All suspects in this case face life imprisonment if convicted.
Western Cape Police Commissioner Sembisile Patekile told media there could be more arrests in the case. But authorities shifted their focus to finding Jocelyn as soon as possible.
“At this stage, we don’t have any children,” Patekil said. “Our ultimate goal is to find the child. We still hope to find him alive.”
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