Cape Town - A Cape Town family just want their little girl home and is praying for her safe return.
“We just want her home.”
These are the words conveyed by a worried family from Steenberg whose daughter disappeared without a trace on Friday afternoon.
A prayer vigil was held on Sunday for the safe return of 13-year-old Rene-Tracy Roman, who left her home in Montague Village to buy a packet of chips and never returned.
The girl was last seen wearing a pink sleeveless top, black tights and slip-on sandals.
She is 1.5m tall, has long black hair and green eyes.
The Roman family believe Rene-Tracy has been kidnapped. Picture: Bertram Malgas/Daily Voice
Her devastated parents, Chrissandre, 31, and Mervyn Jacobs, 37, believe Rene-Tracy was snatched.
The mom says the teen came home from school at 2pm, and was supposed to fetch her little sister from crèche with another woman.
“She said she is first going to buy her a packet of chips, and that’s the last we saw of her,” Chrissandre says.
They only realised she was missing when the woman told them she hasn’t seen Rene-Tracy.
“That’s when I knew something was wrong.
“We immediately went to the shop; but she never made it there. We started looking since 2pm.
House
“We went everywhere, to everybody, to every house, but nobody saw her.
“I know she is still alive. All I want to know is, is she eating? Does she have something to drink?
“Are there warm clothes? If somebody has her, are they treating her well?” the heartbroken mom desperately wonders.
Step-dad Mervyn adds: “We are putting God in control and believe she will return home.”
The teen’s biological father, Eugene Jacobs, 38, has appealed to her kidnappers to return her unharmed.
“Whoever is keeping her, send her home. The Lord will bless whoever took her and send her home in a million ways,” the hopeful father says.
Chairperson of the Steenberg Community Policing Forum (CPF), Lucinda Evans, facilitated searches at the weekend.
Evans described the missing teen as a “quiet, well-behaved and diligent” girl.
“According to the school and family, she isn’t social but very home-grown. We are doing everything possible to find her,” says Lucinda.
“The community has all volunteered in the search, which is great.”
Asked whether she believes a syndicate may be behind the child’s disappearance, Lucinda says: “At this point in time we will not speculate, but rather prioritise on bringing her back home safely to her family.”
Pink Ladies
The Pink Ladies have been very busy the past few weeks with girls who have disappeared.
Last week three of four teenagers from Kuils River were found after they all disappeared within a week.
Nayoca Plato, 17, and Robin van Leeve, 19, were found in Roodepoort, near Johannesburg, and brought home.
Chandre Snyman, 16, was found in Paarl, where she went missing, while Micaela du Preez, 16, is still being sought.