Child murder suspect stoned to death

Umhlali SAPS are investigating two cases of murder after a four year old girl was found dead in a pit toilet in the Mthombisi area in Upper Tongaat.

The little girl went missing on November 4 and her naked body was discovered three days later by a community search party, who then stoned to death a man they suspected of having killed her, before the Umhlali SAPS could get there.

The police had been searching for the girl for three days before the community decided to take the law into their own hands.

It was decided at a meeting held in the Mshwati primary school hall in Mthombisi to search the residence of the last person who saw her alive.

With the suspect being kept at the meeting, the mob turned his residence upside down and found the girl’s lifeless body in the pit toilet.

The suspect had already been executed outside the school grounds by the time the police arrived at the pit toilet.

Two cases of murder have subsequently been opened: one for the murder of the child and another for the murder of the suspect.

“As soon as someone comes forward with names we will arrest the vigilantes,” said investigating officer, Detective Warrant Officer Vishal Chain.

It is believed that the girl may have been raped because her body was found naked.

“We are not yet certain that that was the case but DNA samples have been sent for analysis,” said Chain.

He added that the suspect is believed to have been involved in previous sexual abuse cases but nothing could be confirmed before the DNA samples came back.

“At this stage all the evidence is circumstantial and the community may still have been mistaken,” said Chain.

He warned that people are not to take the law into their own hands as they will be prosecuted.

“Murder is murder and the law does not apply to certain people only,” said Chain.