A hut in Midelpos, Saldanha Bay. Joshlyn lived with his mother Kelly and three-year-old sister.Photo: David Harrison
The case against the four suspects in Joshlyn Smith's disappearance has been postponed until July 15 for the state to finish its investigation.
The four defendants, Joshlyn's mother Kelly Smith, her boyfriend Jacken Boeta Apolis, Stevano van Ryn and Laurentia Lombard, appeared together in Vredenburg Magistrate's Court on Monday. This is the first time I have done so.
They were remanded in custody until their next court appearance.
The last accomplice, Lombard, who was arrested in March, allegedly confessed to charges in the six-year-old's disappearance, according to the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA).
But authorities did not provide further information about Mr. Lombard's confession, saying details would only be known if “one of them applies for bail.”
NPA spokesperson Eric Ntabazarira said: “The earliest would be if one of them applied for bail.”
The four defendants are charged with human trafficking for the purpose of exploitation and kidnapping. In previous court proceedings, the defendant waived his bail application.
Joshlyn disappeared from her home in the Middelpos informal settlement in Diazville on February 19th.
At the time of Joshlyn's disappearance, her mother, Kelly, told police she had returned home after a day out and couldn't find Joshlyn.
She called her boyfriend, Apolis, who had left Joshlyn with her, but he could not explain her whereabouts.
In April, the international criminal organization Interpol announced that it had received information that Joshlyn had been found on a Panamanian ship. frontier asuka. He searched the ship, anchored at Port Talbot in Wales, for two days but found no trace of the child.
Police Minister Bheki Cele has since said that police have been in contact with international criminal organizations such as Interpol to help find the child.
Residents of Saldanha Bay had hoped that bloodstained clothing found in the Middelpos informal settlement might be the key to finding her, while police announced that forensic analysis results were negative. .
Last week, police refuted claims by Patriotic Alliance (PA) leader Gayton McKenzie that another person had been arrested in connection with Joshlyn's disappearance.
McKenzie posted on her Facebook page on Wednesday that a “major police raid” had taken place at a traditional healer's hut in Middelpos.
However, Southern Cape police spokesperson Lieutenant-Colonel Malcolm Posier said: “There have been no further arrests. The investigation is ongoing and we have ruled out the possibility of other suspects being arrested as the investigation progresses.” We can't. The search for Joshlyn continues.”
Meanwhile, the court heard on Monday that police were analyzing witness statements and mobile phone downloads as part of the investigation into Ms Joshlyn's disappearance.
Western Cape Police Surveillance and Community Safety MEC Regen Allen said: “We are still following up on leads and ultimately we want all avenues to be exhausted because our main The aim is still to make sure Joshlyn comes back unharmed,” said Western Cape Police Monitoring and Community Safety MEC Regen Allen. Press conference held outside the Vredenburg Magistrate's Court after the defendant appeared in court.