Western Cape police issued a statement, on Wednesday, confirming that four individuals were being questioned over the disappearance of Joshlin Smith.
Joshlin Smith latest: SAPS issues update on four individuals
According to police spokesperson Brigadier Novela Potelwa, two men and two women aged between 26 and 34 are being interrogated about their alleged involvement in the disappearance of the six-year-old.
“With the investigation gaining momentum arrests are on the cards,” Brig. Potelwa said.
The police statement comes a day after reports emerged that Joshlin’s mother, Kelly Smith, and her boyfriend, Jacquen Appollis, were taken into custody over allegations they were involved in the sale of the Grade 1 pupil to a sangoma.
Sources close to the investigation revealed the pair, who have been active in the search for the six-year-old and vehemently proclaiming their innocence in interviews, allegedly trafficked Joshlin in exchange for R20 000.
Joshlin Smith is still nowhere to be found and authorities, it’s believed, are working tirelessly in a race against time to, hopefully, trace the six-year-old to the person to whom she was trafficked.
At this time, investigators presume Joshlin is still alive.
Joshlin Smith went missing on Monday, 19 February 2024. According to various accounts from the police, as well as Kelly and Jacquin, the six-year-old was left in the care of the mother’s boyfriend.
Jacquen insisted he allowed Joshlin to play with friends, albeit the Grade 1 pupil was kept at home that day due to an undisclosed illness.
Despite several allegations and rumours linking Kelly and Jacquen to the child’s disappearance, police had, at the time, not considered suspects in the matter.