In the ongoing case of missing six-year-old Joshlin Smith, her mother, Racquel “Kelly” Smith, appeared in a South African court facing charges of kidnapping and trafficking her daughter.
During her brief appearance in court, the magistrate decided to postpone the case until July 15 to allow the police more time to continue their investigations.
Despite nearly three months passing since Joshlin disappeared from her home in Middelpos, a neighborhood in the south-western Saldanha Bay region, the authorities have yet to make significant progress in locating her.
The local community has criticized the police for what they perceive as a lack of thorough investigation, but the police have refuted these accusations.
Authorities informed the magistrate that they are currently analyzing mobile phone data forensically as part of their efforts to find Joshlin.
Racquel Smith, along with her boyfriend, Jacquen “Boeta” Appollis, and two others, has been charged in connection with the case, although they have not entered pleas yet.
The magistrate decided to keep all four suspects in custody until the next court appearance scheduled for July 15.
