Fugitive couple charged with babies’ deaths

Baby Alaia Adam-Shaik was allegedly murdered by her parents, Junaid Mohamed Shaik, 32, and his partner, Stacey-Lee van der Ross. Photo: Supplied

Baby Alaia Adam-Shaik was allegedly murdered by her parents, Junaid Mohamed Shaik, 32, and his partner, Stacey-Lee van der Ross. Photo: Supplied

Published Apr 18, 2015

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Johannesburg - Junaid Mohamed Shaik and his partner Stacey-Lee van der Ross appear happy as they pose in a picturesque scene in an undated photo.

But now the Roodepoort couple, who are accused of murdering both their baby daughters, are the subject of a national police manhunt.

This week it emerged the pair failed to appear for their trial at the South Gauteng High Court for the murder and abuse of their five-month-old baby Alaia Adam-Shaikand and their second-born daughter, Amanee.

She died three months after her birth in December 2013, allegedly also at the hands of her parents. They buried her without informing the police of her death.

Gauteng police told the Saturday Star this week the couple were facing two murder charges for killing their children. The State had added the second charge after a post-mortem was performed on Amanee.

“A warrant for their arrest has been issued,” said Gauteng police spokesman Lieutenant-Colonel Lungelo Dlamini.

“When their second child died, they failed to follow legal processes and later buried the child,” he said.

The police were following several leads to arrest the pair.

It is believed the couple abused baby Alaia from her birth in May 2012 until her death in October that year.

She was injured on numerous occasions and it emerged in court that one of her arms was so badly broken, it was equivalent to the injury from a fall from a two-storey building. Her legs had also been broken.

The couple reportedly told relatives that their children died after “choking”.

Their trial was trial set down for February but they never arrived. They failed to pitch for another court appearance last month. They reportedly fled after hearing they were being investigated for Amanee’s murder.

On Friday, relatives of Van der Ross did not want to speak to Saturday Star, claiming they knew nothing about the case.

But her mother, Avril, in a recent Beeld article, said the couple had struggled to have children. Van der Ross suffered a miscarriage shortly before Alaia’s birth, she revealed.

“She is a beautiful person. She always gives… she was a loving mother. Alaia was a beautiful baby. They both looked after her,” she said.

She had reported her daughter missing on February 18, days before the couple’s trial was due to begin on February 23.

“Stacey, please give yourself in. We will stand by you,” she implored her daughter.

The couple’s R5 000 bail had been revoked, the National Prosecuting Authority said.

The police confiscated Shaik’s passport, which expired in 2013 .

* If you have information on the couple’s whereabouts, please contact investigating officer Colonel Noxolo Kweza at [email protected].

Saturday Star

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