Missing Joshlin Smith’s aunt has accused the child’s mom of “knowing what happened to the six-year-old”.
Mickyela Daniels was featured in different TikTok videos in which she said Kelly Smith told her there was someone who wanted to buy her daughter.
In a live video on Facebook with Patriotic Alliance president Gayton Mckenzie yesterday, Smith said she would take a lie detector test with her boyfriend, Jacquin Appollis.
The Grade 1 learner from Saldanha Bay disappeared from her home last Monday while she was in the care of Appollis.
Appollis said he was sleeping when the girl left her Middelpos home in Diazville.
“People can say what they want but I know that my boyfriend had nothing to do with this.
“When I saw him on Tuesday, he was crying a lot. He’s innocent,” Smith said.
She told Mckenzie she couldn’t be part of the search anymore.
“Some community members are unreasonable, they want to hurt me.
“I couldn’t sleep on Monday, I was at the police station the whole night, the police had to protect us.
“The community believes that I know something about my daughter’s disappearance.
“If people think that I’m guilty then they’re making a big mistake, that is my child.
“If you never had a missing child in your life then you will never know how I feel.
“I feel broken, no one can mend me.
“I don’t want people to blame us, we have nothing to do with my child’s disappearance.
“I just want to find my child and say ‘mommy is here’. I don’t know where she is.
“I’m afraid to be alive, I’m scared to go to the shop.”
Daniels, who is a police officer in Springbok, said: “I called you and asked where Joshlin was and you said there was someone who wanted to buy her from you. I think that Kelly knows what happened to Joshlin.”
Kelly said she suspected her daughter may have been trafficked.
“I think that as Joshlin was playing, some man or someone saw a beautiful target.
“It feels like human trafficking is involved.”
As the investigation entered its ninth day, the police decided to scale down the search yesterday.
Police spokesperson Malcolm Pojie, said: “The search for the six-year-old Joshlin has been scaled down as no trace could be found despite the fact that all avenues and resources have been exhausted. The investigation team is still working around the clock to follow up on all information which is received from various sources.
“However, we want to urge the public to refrain from posting unfounded and unverified rumours about the search, the possible discovery of Joshlin and those allegedly involved in her disappearance.
“We furthermore appeal to residents of the surrounding towns and neighbourhoods not to flock to Saldanha to offer their ‘help’ to search for the missing Joshlin.”
mandilakhe.tshwete@inl.co.za