ERMELO – A 50-year-old woman from Carolina was arrested on November 29 for the alleged kidnapping of a child 20 years ago.
According to Capt Carla Prinsloo, spokesman for Ermelo police, the girl’s biological mother, aged 16 at the time, gave birth to her in Ermelo Provincial Hospital on March 23, 2001.
The mother and baby was discharged from the hospital on the same day.
The baby’s aunt went along to accompany them back to the mother’s house in Breyten.
On their way to a local taxi rank, they met the suspect, who walked with them to the taxi rank and offered to assist by holding the baby as her mom was experiencing pain and dizziness while the aunt had visited a shop nearby..
She told the baby’s mother she would go and find her sister.
Her sister returned from the shop and asked about the baby, and they realised the woman had disappeared with her.
They reported the incident to the Ermelo police.
Capt Prinsloo, spokesman for Ermelo police, said: “In November 2021, one of the kidnapped girl’s siblings showed their grandmother a photo of her, remarking on how identical to their mother she looked.”
The sibling reached out to her and asked her where she was from.
Her mother reported the information to the Ermelo police, and DNA tests were conducted that confirmed she was indeed the baby who had allegedly been kidnapped.
Meanwhile, the young woman has been kept in a place of safety while she receives psychological support and will hopefully be reunited with her biological family soon.
The name of the suspect is withheld for the protection of the victim’s identity.
The suspect appeared in the Ermelo Magistrate’s Court on November 30 and was released on bail of R1 500.
The case was postponed to January 18.
