The case against murder-accused Tiffany Nicole Meek has been postponed to June 11 and 12, when the State is expected to begin leading witnesses.

Meek appeared in the Johannesburg High Court sitting at the Palm Ridge Magistrate’s Court today, April 22.

She previously pleaded not guilty to charges of murder, crimen injuria, defeating the ends of justice and attempting to obstruct justice. A charge of child neglect was withdrawn due to a lack of evidence.

The State alleges that Meek murdered her 11-year-old son, Jayden-Lee Meek, and reported him missing. Meek denied the allegations, maintaining her innocence as her plea explanation was read into the record by her legal representative.

Related article: Tiffany Nicole Meek case transferred to High Court

A plea explanation is a statement by an accused, usually through their legal representative, outlining their version of events and clarifying the issues for trial.

In her statement, Meek detailed events from the morning her son went to school to when he was found dead the following day.

Meek’s account after Jayden was reported missing

She said that on May 13, she prepared her son for school, and that was the last time she saw him.

According to her, the transport driver initially claimed he dropped Jayden off at 14:45, but later changed the time to 15:00.

After hours of concern and communication with her mother, Meek opened a missing person’s case at the Florida police station.

Police launched a search that evening, accompanied by Meek and her family. Their first stop was the transport driver’s residence, where he confirmed dropping Jayden off at the complex.

The team then returned to the complex to question the night shift security guard, who referred them to the day shift guard. Meek said the day shift guard gave contradictory responses about whether he had seen Jayden return from school and appeared to be under the influence of a substance.

Officers searched accessible areas of the complex but did not enter individual units, citing the need for a warrant. The search was called off around midnight.

Discovery the following morning

Meek said she returned to her unit at about 05:23 the next morning from her mother’s home to bathe and change.

At around 06:50, while back at her mother’s home, she received a call from the transport driver informing her that Jayden had been found at the complex.

Upon arrival, the family was told he had been found on a stairway landing near their unit. He was rushed to the hospital in a private vehicle.

A postmortem examination later found the cause of death to be consistent with a blunt force head injury.

Dispute over school bag evidence

During earlier proceedings in the Roodepoort Magistrate’s Court, the State alleged that Jayden’s school bag was found inside Meek’s complex. She denied any knowledge of its presence.

She said the area would have been in her direct line of sight when she returned on May 14 from the hospital to collect Jayden’s birth certificate.

She added that she could not explain why police officers, including specialised units and sniffer dogs deployed on May 14, or family members who entered the apartment on May 15 during a memorial vigil, did not notice the bag.

The State is also expected to present evidence that blood was found on books inside the bag and that traces of blood were discovered in parts of Meek’s unit, allegedly after an attempt to clean the scene using chemicals.

Meek further indicated that she has not had the opportunity to grieve for her son due to the allegations against her.

She remains in custody.