A 73-year-old Durban mother has been desperately trying to find her son, who went missing in September last year.
Sharmiel Williams, 52, left his home on the morning of September 11, 2023, to meet friends at a pool in Asherville but he never returned home.
Jasmien Williams, his mother, said whenever he went out, he returned home by 2pm to eat and to check up on her.
“I felt that something was amiss. I waited until 5pm to see if he would return home and when he did not pitch, I notified my two daughters. We decided to wait until the next morning to report him missing in case he came home during the night.”
She said on September 12 they went to the Sydenham police station and opened up a missing person's case.
“We began circulating his picture on social media in the hope that someone would find him. On September 13, the police contacted us to tell us that a body was found on North Beach and they believed it could be my son. I was devastated. When my daughters went to identify the body, it was not him. It was such a terrible experience.”
Williams said since then, with the help of police, they searched mortuaries, hospitals and even checked police stations in case he was arrested for something but he was nowhere to be found.
“Police checked the pool to see if he may have been killed and his body dumped but nothing has come up. We have also explored the fact that he might have been kidnapped. This past year has been so difficult, not knowing if he is alive or dead. As a mother, I just want to know where my son is. I don’t believe someone could just vanish like that.
“I appeal to anyone with information to please come forward so our family can get some closure.”
If you have information call the Sydenham SAPS on 031 203 2707, 10111 or Crime Stop on 08600 10111