A tragedy played out at the Simmer and Jack landfill site on Wednesday when the body of an eight-year-old boy who had been reported kidnapped was discovered.
The boy’s body was found along with his 41-year-old alleged kidnapper’s body under a duvet on top of a hill at the landfill site.
They were discovered at noon by workers at the landfill site who saw the duvet and picked it up making the gruesome find.
The child, who lived in the Marathon informal settlement, had been missing since August 17, and his mother had opened a case of kidnapping on August 18, with the Germiston FCS (Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences) Unit, after her boyfriend failed to return the child home or to school as agreed.
The drama unfolded after the boy’s mother and her boyfriend had an argument and it had allegedly become abusive.
She claimed that her boyfriend had become abusive and had thrown water over her and the child, and then hit her in the face with his open hand.
She fled the family’s home and went to the Primrose Police Station to report him.
The police accompanied her back to her home and they found the man and child missing.
The woman tried to contact him on his cellphone but it had been switched off and eventually managed to contact him on her cellphone which he had taken with him.
The woman told police he had allegedly said he wanted her to feel the same pain as he had when she refused his marriage proposal.
The man said he would return the next day with the child.
However, this did not happen and she went back to the police and opened a kidnapping case.
Extensive investigation by the Germiston FCS Unit ensued, as well as a search of the area but the child and man could not been found.
After the discovery of the bodies, the child’s mother was called to the scene and both bodies were positively identified.
Capt George Raphulu, head of communications for the Germiston SAPS said, “An inquest docket has been opened for investigation and to determine the cause of death.
“This may be changed to murder at a later stage.”
The child’s mother was too traumatised to speak to the GCN and she and a number of other women from the community sat on the hill in a silent vigil while police went about their investigations.
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