9-Year-Old Girl Mistaken for Missing Joshlin Smith After Viral TikTok Video
- An Elsies River family has pleaded with the public to stop claiming their nine-year-old daughter is missing child Joshlin Smith
- The rumours started after a video of the young girl dancing at a local competition went viral on TikTok
- The family says the false claims have left the child emotionally distressed and unwilling to dance anymore
Source: Twitter
WESTERN CAPE - A nine-year-old girl has been mistaken for missing Western Cape child Joshlin Smith, leaving her family in Elsies River distressed
The family is pleading with the public to stop referring to Shenikah as Joshlin and spreading false rumours online.
Case of mistaken identity
The claims surfaced after a video of Shenikah Jacobs dancing at a local “Skeur My” competition in Leonsdale went viral on TikTok. Social media users began comparing the young girl to Joshlin because of her light hair and eyes, with some even claiming that the missing child had finally been found.
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Even though the two little girls bear a strong resemblance to one another, they are not identical.
According to Shenikah’s aunt, the rumours started shortly after the dance competition video began circulating online. She said the comparisons quickly escalated and started affecting the family emotionally.
The aunt said strangers have since approached Shenikah and her mother in public, questioning whether the child was Joshlin or accusing the family of hiding the missing girl.
“Whenever Shenikah and her mother are walking outside, people will stop them, saying, ‘Isn’t this Joshlin?’ or they would point at her and say, ‘Isn’t she the child being accused of being Joshlin?’,” she said.
See a post on X about the mistaken identity:
Family denies Shekinah is Joshlin
The family insists there is no truth to the rumours and says they have documents proving Shenikah’s identity. The aunt added that police officers even visited the family’s home to verify the claims.
“We know she is not Joshlin; we have a birth certificate to prove it. This has affected her mother especially because people were saying she stole the child,” she added.
The family said the police have even been to their house to make sure that the little girl was not Joshlin.
The ongoing speculation has reportedly affected Shenikah’s confidence and her passion for dancing. According to her aunt, the hurtful social media comments have left the child emotionally shaken.
However, the family says they are continuing to encourage Shenikah not to let the cruel remarks stop her from pursuing what she loves.
Joshlin Smith's disappearance
Joshlin disappeared from Middelpos in Saldanha on 19 February 2024 and has still not been located despite extensive searches. Last year, her mother, Kelly Smith, Jacquen “Boeta” Appollis and Steveno van Rhyn were sentenced to life imprisonment after being found guilty of kidnapping and trafficking the child. Judge Nathan Erasmus handed down sentences to Smith, van Rhyn and Appollis on 29 May 2025, giving them life in prison for human trafficking and 10 years for kidnapping.
Source: Twitter
Police continue search for Joshlin
Briefly News reported that police launched a large-scale search in Saldanha Bay, as they follow up on possible evidence regarding Joslin Smith’s disappearance. Numerous officers gathered in the Diazville area of Saldanha Bay, sparking a debate online about what they were searching for and what happened to the little girl. Accompanied by sniffer dogs, police were conducting searches in an area known as The Dunes.
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Source: Briefly News
