Update: The search for Neline
Middelburg will bear the scars left by Neline van Zyl's disappearance for a long time to come. A desperate search for the 13 year-old girl saw people praying out loud and doors being broken down by the Task Force.
The girl, who went missing last week Thursday, moved the hearts of Middelburg residents causing a large scale search being launched wherein police officers and ordinary citizens left no stone unturned.
As the days passed, the search intensified with hopes of finding Neline unharmed, dwindling by the hour. Neline went from being the daughter of Petra and Roelof van Zyl to being the daughter of Middelburg. A large group of residents gathered in front of the Van Zyl family’s house to pray for the safe return of their daughter.
Rumours flew and fingers were pointed. All official evidence pointed to the same suspect over and over. On Sunday the police’s specialized units intervened, Neline’s missing persons file was changed to a charge of kidnapping. Several local police officers from various units worked around the clock to try and trace the girl.
On Monday a massive search party, consisting of members of the Dog Unit, Mounted Unit, Police Airwing and a private security company, probed the Verena area after a woman admitted that her son, now charged with kidnapping, and Neline jumped out of her car en-route to Middelburg, after she attempted to bring her home to her parents.
The woman claimed that she discovered the girl hidden at an undisclosed spot on the farm they reside on, on Sunday night, three days after Neline was reported missing. She waited until the Monday morning to alert authorities.
Tuesday 05:35, the Task Force stormed a house in Kanonkop, holding a family of four at gunpoint after receiving information that Neline might be there. Neil de Lange told the Middelburg Observer how he, his wife Lizelle and their two sons aged 14 and 11 were held at gunpoint, whilst their front door was shattered to pieces by balaclava wearing men using a battering ram.
Mr De Lange claim that neither he, nor any of his family members had any connection to the missing Neline other than reading about her on social media platforms and sharing her missing person flyer in an attempt to help find her.
Read the story elsewhere and watch the video of how a shocked Mr De Lange explains how his house was invaded and he was left with the damage afterwards.
On Wednesday morning, the Middelburg Observer received a photo of a suspect the police was looking for in connection with the search for Neline. Before it could be circulated, the news that Neline has been found broke. People rejoiced.
Petra van Zyl told how she was in the Wonderpark Wimpy when she heard the news. She jumped up and yelled: “They have found my daughter!” instinctively and saw strangers celebrating with her, one woman running to remove a missing-poster against a nearby wall. A 17 year old boy, who was the suspect all along, was arrested.
The investigation continues with a lot of loose ends still to be tied up. An investigation has also been launched against the mother of the suspect and more charges might be added to that of kidnapping as the evidence helps the story unravel.
“It is important for us to say thank you. Thank you to God and to everyone that walked this road with us. We prayed and we asked and He delivered,” Mrs Van Zyl said on Thursday. Neline will also be present.
Video: Parents plead for return of missing daughter
Video – Opvolg: Beloning vir Neline
Opvolg: Dorp vat hande en soek Neline
Opvolg: Gemeenskap soek maar geen Neline
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