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Free State police recovered the body of a young girl on Friday 2 April 2021. The discovery was made after they followed up on a report about a body of a child that was seen floating in Klein Modder River in W-section, Botshabelo.
Further investigation revealed that the body was that of 9-year-old Tariro Jonas who was reportedly kidnapped by her mother’s boyfriend on 7 March 2021.
The mother’s boyfriend Kgotso Masukela (26) allegedly assaulted her on the day of the alleged kidnapping. When she went to report the incident and assault to the police, her boyfriend walked away with her daughter. A case of kidnapping was opened and the police started their search for the girl.
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On the Thursday, 11 March 2021 at about 23:00, Masukela was caught by community members on the N8 road, dragged to a nearby field and allegedly assaulted. The police were called in the early hours of Friday 12 March 2021 where they found him badly injured. At the time he told the police that he dumped the body of the girl in the river, but he later died in hospital. A case of murder was opened.
Police divers searched the area for days but couldn’t find any sign of the missing girl. A passer-by noticed the body floating in the water on Friday. The deceased was identified by her mother.
A post-mortem will be conducted on Tuesday 6 April 2021 to determine the cause of death and positively confirm the identity of the deceased. A case of inquest has been registered for further investigation.
The acting Provincial Commissioner, Major General Solly Lesia called on the community to refrain from taking the law into their own hands as it jeopardizes the investigation of cases.
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