Fifteen days after Joshlin Smith went missing, police have arrested a suspect who is believed to have sold the six-year-old for around R20,000.
Joshlin, a Grade 1 learner at Diazville Primary School, in Saldanha Bay, was last seen on Monday, February 19, at around 5pm.
At the time of Joshlin’s disappearance, her mother, Kelly Smith told police that when had rerturned home after being out for the day, she had looked for the child but could not find her.
She later got hold of her boyfriend, Jacquin Appollis, who was supposed to look after Joshlin, but he could not account for her whereabouts.
What Joshlin wore
Joshlin was last seen wearing a light blue T-shirt and light blue denim shorts. She also has a birthmark located on her left arm.
The suspect taken into police custody is believed to be close to Joshlin.
A trusted source close to the investigation told IOL, that the suspect had allegedly confessed to selling the young girl to a woman for about R20,000.
“He was arrested. He said he sold her to a woman,” the source said.
IOL has approached the police for comment but at the time of publishing they were yet to answer our questions.
This story will be updated once comment has been received. The R20,000 figure has also yet to be verified.
As of late on Tuesday night, Joshlin had still not been found.
On Saturday, Police Minister Bheki Cele together with SAPS management led by Provincial Commissioner Lieutenant General Thembisile Patekile, visited the community of Saldanha Bay and engaged with members of the community who have been searching day and night for the missing girl.
The City of Cape Town also deployed resources including its marine unit services, K9 unit, and more after police announced it would be scaling back its searches.
On Sunday, police confirmed the search for Joshlin had been expanded with drones and rescue dogs deployed in the area.
Police said pieces of clothing allegedly stained with blood were discovered on an open field on Saturday evening during random searches.
The clothing has been sent to the forensic laboratory for analysis.
Scores of neighbourhood watch members, community-based organisations, and local residents have continued to work around the clock in search of Joshlin.
Anyone with information, regarding the whereabouts of the Joshlin, is requested to contact the investigation officer, Sergeant Millstine of Vredenburg FCS at 079 879 8588 or Crime Stop at 086 001 0111.