The body of a three-year-old boy who went missing from a farm in the Upper Tongaat area on Thursday has been found.

This follows the arrest of a 39-year-old man in connection with the kidnapped toddler on Friday morning after a 24-hour manhunt. He pointed out the crime scene to detectives, which led to the discovery of the boy’s remains.

The man allegedly assaulted the boy’s seven-year-old sibling with a panga on Thursday. He had to be rushed to hospital with serious neck and head injuries.

The Umhlali K9 unit, IPSS Search and Rescue teams and multiple agencies, aided by members of the community, returned to the area on Friday morning to continue the search for the missing child.

The body was found at 2pm, about 250 metres from the house the children and their mother shared with the farm worker.

IPSS Search and Rescue spokesperson Samantha Meyrick confirmed the arrest of the adult male.

“The stepfather [mother’s partner] has been handed over to Saps to help with the continued investigation,” said Meyrick.

• This article was amended after it was published. Following further investigation, the North Coast Courier was informed by Saps that the couple were not legally married. The suspect, therefore, is not the children’s stepfather, as stated in the original article. Similarly, the article was corrected on January 8, to reflect this change. The North Coast Courier apologises for any confusion caused.

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