Johan de Beer: The story behind the photo

Social media was abuzz since Monday morning when a photograph of a man with close-cropped hair and one visible earring was being shared again and again. 

He is known simply as Johan de Beer, aged 24, the man known countrywide as the suspect in the alleged kidnapping of 13-year-old Marcel Blandin de Chalain.

Hans de Beer, the suspect’s father, spoke about his son and the life he has led, much to the dismay of his family. Mr de Beer recounted many incidents of apparent misconduct by his son.

“He dropped out of school at the age of 17,” said Mr de Beer. “He got involved with the wrong crowd and started using drugs; dagga, cocaine and other stuff too.”
According to Mr de Beer, the only time he saw his son in recent years, was when the suspect would come to him, stating he was in trouble and needed help.

“Every now and then he would phone and tell me, ‘Dad, I am here, I am safe’,” he said. “I would usually learn afterwards of the bad things he had done.”
Allegedly, the suspect had finally begun to settle down in Bethlehem. He found a girlfriend, stopped drinking and using drugs and started
to attend church. He also found a steady job.

“The girlfriend phoned me one day and told me she had chased him away because she had discovered he was smoking dagga again,” said Mr de Beer. “But Johan told me he had come home one day and found his girlfriend with an ex boyfriend of hers.”

Mr de Beer believed Johan was again sent over the edge of his new-found self-control, and the serious hurt in losing the relationship pushed him into a downward spiral, reverting to his ‘old ways’.

“This is not the first time he has taken things which do not belong to him. He has, I think, four cases pending in Johannesburg for theft, and another in Bethlehem,” claimed Mr de Beer. The suspect’s father is suffering from skin cancer, which has affected his mobility. 

“There are not many places he has left to go. I think he will have to go up to Nelspruit now, as this is one of the few places he hasn’t been yet,” said Mr de Beer. “I am just very grateful that my other children are not the same.”

The suspect was taken in by the Blandin de Chalain family after he was allegedly seen sleeping on the pavement in front of the neighbours’ yard.

He has no connections to the family or Marcel. He was last seen fleeing his father’s home in Roodepoort on Tuesday night, leaving the stolen vehicle and Marcel behind. 

Roodepoort police are currently conducting an extensive search.

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