A South African court found a mother and two accomplices guilty on Friday of kidnapping and trafficking her 6-year-old daughter, in a case that gained nationwide attention since the child went missing last year.
Joshlin Smith, then 6, disappeared from her home in the small town of Middelpos, Saldanha Bay, in Western Cape province on February 19, 2024 and a nationwide search began. She has not been found.
Joshlin’s mother, Kelly Smith, her boyfriend Jacquen Apollis and their friend Steveno Van Rhyn were accused of selling the child for a fee. A judge at the Western Cape High Court found all three guilty of kidnapping and trafficking on Friday.
“The conduct of … Ms Smith is not that of a concerned parent. And why not? In my mind the only inference is that you knew (what happened),” said Judge Nathan Erasmus on Friday, addressing Smith, who sat in the courtroom but did not speak.
