Saldanha – The search for missing Joshlin Smith has seemingly hit a dead end, as the Western Cape High Court heard that forensic analysis of key exhibits has yielded no conclusive links to the young girl or her family. This revelation comes as the main trial against Joshlin’s mother, Racquel “Kelly” Smith, her boyfriend Jacquen “Boeta” Appollis, and their friend Steveno “Steffie” van Rhyn, continues at the White City Multipurpose Centre in Saldanha. The trio are accused of kidnapping and human trafficking.
Captain Wesley Lombard, from the Western Cape Anti-Kidnapping Unit, was recalled to the witness box to provide an update on the investigation, which began on 29 February 2024, ten days after Joshlin disappeared from her Middelpos home. Lombard detailed the extensive efforts undertaken by his team, including following up on numerous leads, consulting with informants, and even engaging with self-proclaimed fortune tellers and sangomas.
Lombard told the court his team got involved in the case on February 29, 2024, and explained what was done during the investigation.
He said the team had gone through various experiences, as many different groups of people approached them wanting to help in search of the missing green-eyed girl.
“In the process of investigation, we were approached by many ‘fortune tellers’ who said they knew where Joshlin was. It was people within our own country and those abroad. They shared what they could see happened to Joshlin. We followed up on all the information, and it was negative,” he said.
“What was interesting is that they came back every other day with information about where Joshlin was. During the investigation, we also worked with local informants for their assistance. People also came forth and introduced themselves as sangomas, they said they would do their traditional rituals to see where Joshlin was. We followed up on the information, and it was negative,” Lombard told the court.
He said other persons introduced themselves as online researchers who conducted online research and shared their findings with us, but this was found to be negative.
Global Search Efforts Prove Fruitless
The investigation extended beyond South Africa's borders, with Interpol receiving information from the National Crime Agency in the United Kingdom (UK) on 15 March 2024, suggesting Joshlin was on a boat in the North Sea.
Lombard told the court that On March 15, 2024, Interpol got information from the National Crime Agency in the United Kingdom (UK) about Joshlin being on a boat.
The boat was on the North Sea. The following day, they were told the boat was moved to shore, however, there was no sign of Joshlin.
“We also found information that a child was found in various African countries, such as Ghana and Nigeria. None of the people sharing the information could share specific locations or areas,” Lombard said.
Despite these leads, Lombard confirmed that “all their leads have turned out ‘negative’”.
DNA Evidence Fails to Link Suspects
Previously, Sergeant Meyer Milstein, the initial investigating officer from the Vredenburg Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences (FCS) Unit, testified about recovering a bed sheet and pillow case with suspected blood stains from the shack where Joshlin lived.
However, Lombard revealed that a comprehensive forensic analysis of these and other items, including a knife, flip-flop, clothes, and a cell phone, had yielded disappointing results.
“The knife, flip-flop, pillow case, clothes, cell phone, all the exhibits came out negative. None of the exhibits could be linked [with DNA] to Joshlin or her mother or her father,” Lombard testified.
The absence of DNA evidence linking the suspects to Joshlin or the recovered items presents a significant challenge for the prosecution.
TikTok, Psychics and False Leads
Lombard also detailed the numerous false leads and distractions encountered during the investigation.
Many TikTok content creators also reached out to the investigating team.
“We know [TikTok] is a busy platform, many people were sharing different stories, and these content creators let us know what was being shared and spread. Some of the information was discredited. We had interviews with some people, and it was negative,” the court heard.
People also posted possible sightings of Joshlin, and content creators sent this to the police, which also turned out to be negative.
“There were people who came forward who had access to the satellite, and they could get satellite imaging of the dunes, and one could see under the sand. This was sent to us. We went to certain places to dig up following the coordinates received. We also had the K9 unit and members from the forensic lab who could analyse any bones to determine whether they were human or animal. We also approached those in detention who perpetrated crimes against children, asking if they knew anyone in the area wanting to do similar crimes,” Lombard told the court.
Lombard said they looked throughout the Diazville and Middelpos area for any cameras on any properties.
In May 2024, a group of people approached Lombard’s team interested in the search for Joshlin, and wanted to meet.
“They stated they were part of an organisation that assists in missing persons. We decided to first verify this before we met with them. We met up a few days later and found out they were more interested in Kelly than the search for Joshlin. During the conversation, it was found that they approached a private attorney to represent Kelly in court, and they visited her regularly. We said that they have the right, as it is for the other accused. That is also where we cut the communication with this group because we noticed they wanted to infiltrate our team and then discuss this with Kelly’s lawyer. That is when we named them Team Kelly,” Lombard said.
Search Continues
Despite the setbacks, Lombard assured the court that the investigation into Joshlin’s disappearance remains active.
He told the court that while the matter may be in court, the investigation into Joshlin’s disappearance never stopped.
“We received information about children seen in different provinces. All this was followed up but was negative. The children who were seen were not Joshlin. This was just last month. During the trial, people are still sending information, and my colleagues who are at the office continue to follow up. The search for Joshlin still continues,” Lombard said.
The trial continues, with the state expected to present further evidence in the coming days. The lack of conclusive DNA evidence, however, casts a shadow over the proceedings and raises serious questions about the direction of the case.
