Anika Smit was a 17-year-old schoolgirl who, on March 10, 2010, stayed home from school due to an ear infection. At 09:00, she spoke to her mom on the phone, and by 11:00, she was dead. Her father, Johan Smit, had arranged with the local pharmacy to deliver medicine for Anika at their home. The pharmacy informed Anika’s father that they could not provide the medicine as she didn’t respond and that the gate was unlocked, but the dogs were outside, running around the house.
At 16:00, when her father arrived home, he found the chains and locks for the gate missing; the dogs were secured in the backyard. Suspiciously, he entered Anika’s room and found her half-naked body lying there. Only upon entering the room the second time did he notice that Anika’s hands had been cut off.
A few months later, Anika’s ex-boyfriend was arrested for her murder, and after being released on bail, the charges against him were dropped. The police investigation left many questions unanswered; they focused only on Anika’s bedroom, even though it was evident that a struggle took place in the dining room. Suitcases and boxes were in open sight, but no one thought to look inside them.
In September 2016, André van Wyk, who went to school with Anika, confessed to her murder, but he soon changed his story, and there was not enough evidence to tie him to the murder. At the time, Johan was hoping this confession would bring some closure, but he is still awaiting answers today.
A judicial inquiry was launched to see who could possibly be charged with her murder. Six people of interest have been investigated, one of them Johan. A massage therapist testified how he told her Anika deserved what happened. She also mentioned how Johan was nervous and had scratch marks on his neck days after the murder. Johan has told the media that he wanted answers in his daughter’s murder, but he feels he is being treated like a criminal and that this ordeal has almost bankrupted him.
Anika was brutally murdered, strangled, stabbed multiple times, and sexually assaulted. Experts call this overkill, and this is seldom done by a stranger. Anika’s hands are still missing, and so is her murderer, 14 years later.
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