Man charged with kidnapping after missing Randburg teen found

A 22-year-old man has been charged with drug possession and kidnapping after he was arrested in the company of a Randpark Ridge teenager who went missing.

Police said the kidnapping charge is just procedure, and more investigation is required, Randburg Sun reported.

The teen, Brittany Barnes went missing after going for a walk outside her house at about 4pm on April 17.

She was found in Blairgowrie at about 9am on 28 April after large-scale social media circulation and mass efforts from missing person’s organisations to find her.

People Search and Rescue Unit (Psaru) members found Barnes and the man and took them to Linden Police Station where police spokesperson Captain Walter Spencer confirmed that Barnes and the man were both charged with being in possession of marijuana.

“Because Barnes is a minor she has been reunited with her parents,” said Spencer.

“I do believe that the kidnapping charge is procedure, but more investigation is needed. The kidnapping case is being handled by the Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences (FCS) unit of the South African Police Service,” added Spencer.

Barnes’s father, Andrew, declined to comment on the kidnapping charge, but said when his daughter was found, “She [Barnes] suffers from bipolar disorder and she has been off her medication for 10 days.”

The relieved father added that she would be taken to a psychiatric facility for evaluation.

“I am so blown away by the support that we have received. My eyes have been opened to the rainbow nation that we truly are.”

– Caxton News Service

For more news your way, follow The Citizen on Facebook and Twitter.