Joslin Smith: K-9 Search for 6-year-old Comes Up Empty

• It's been two months since Joslin Smith's disappearance and police are still searching for the six-year-old
• The Western Cape police's recent K-9 search of bushes in Middelpos in Saldanha Bay was unsuccessful
• Netizens were starting to question whether the authorities are doing enough to find the missing child

Zingisa Chirwa is an experienced Briefly News journalist based in Johannesburg, South Africa, who covered crime stories and current affairs on the radio for over 15 years.

It's been over 60 days since the disappearance of Joslin Smith and the search for the six-year-old continues. Smith went missing on 19 February 2024 while in the care of her mother’s boyfriend.

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Search for Joslin continues

Western Cape police recently deployed their K-9 unit to Middelpos in Saldanha Bay after the community notified them of a strong smell emanating from the bushes; however, News 24 reported that the search yielded no results.

Joslin’s mother, Kelly Smith, her boyfriend, Jacquen Appollis, and Steveno van Rhyn face human trafficking and kidnapping charges related to the disappearance of the little girl. The trio returns to the Vredenburg Magistrate's Court on 13 May 2024.

Meanwhile, the NPA revealed a fourth suspect, Lourentia Lombaard, allegedly confessed to the authorities about her role in Joslin’s disappearance.

According to the Daily Maverick, the details of Lombaard’s confession will only be revealed later.

South Africans remember Joslin

Many netizens wondered why the search for Joslin has seemed to slow down.

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@fyfe56 said:

“I find it very hard to understand why SAPS haven't gotten that info out of her mother and her boyfriend. They have to know something?”

@suretta6 suggested:

“Our police should use Russian interrogation methods to get the information out of those who were arrested in connection with her sale. Nothing less will work.”

@Iwanttoknow50 said:

“I think of her often wondering how long it will take for her mother to tell the truth. The whole story will come out eventually, but this little girl (and others before her) did not deserve this.”

@mjiyako_thabo added:

“The story of this girl honestly breaks my heart. And it's quiet now, as if nothing has happened. What is happening?”

@lynetso concluded:

“They don't seem very keen to find her anymore for some reason or other.”

Blood on cloth not Joslin Smith's

Briefly News reported that Minister of Police Bheki Cele revealed that blood found in a field during the search for missing Saldanha Bay girl Joslin Smith does not belong to her.

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Cele informed the nation that there were no positive leads in their search for Joslin. He said the DNA tests on a blood-stained item discovered in a search returned negative.

Source: Briefly News