Police in QwaQwa, Free State, have made progress in the murder investigation of seven-year-old Tshepang Mosikidi, who was reported missing on Saturday 18 September 2021.
How was missing Tshepang Mosikidi found?
A search alert was launched by members from Child Protection and Sexual Offences and Crime Intelligence when Mosikidi’s family informed police that the seven-year-old girl was last seen in the company of an unknown man.
According to police spokesperson Brigadier Motantsi Makhele, Mosikidi was last seen walking about in the streets of Phahameng section in Tlholong Township with her friend.
Later that day, only the friend would make it home safely. When she was probed by Mosikidi’s family, the little girl sent shockwaves of panic when she claimed that she and her friend had bumped into “a certain known man in the area who gave them five rand and asked her to walk with him.”
A concerted effort was made to track down this man and on Monday, two days into Mosikidi’s disappearance, the 25-year-old suspect was traced to a location in HaNchabeng Village in Qwaqwa where he was arrested.
While it is unclear if the suspect revealed the whereabouts of the missing girl, police confirmed that Mosikidi’s lifeless body had been in a nearby maize field on Monday.
“The body was recovered in a nearby maize field and will be taken to Government Mortuary for post-mortem to be conducted and establish the cause of her death,” Brigadier Makhele said.
What do police have on the suspect?
At this time, no details have surfaced on the identity of the man charged with the death of little Mosikidi.
From what we know, the victim’s friend was instrumental in identifying the man who allegedly lured them with a R5 coin.
At the time this article was published, it is unclear if a rape kit was performed on the seven-year-old to determine if she was sexually assaulted.
Police have also not, at this juncture, revealed the cause of death.
The 25-year-old is expected to appear in a QwaQwa court soon.
This is a developing story.