The disappearance of six-year-old Joshlin Smith continues to leave people around the world is disbelief, as her loved ones plead for answers.
What began as a frantic search for a missing child spiraled into one of the most disturbing criminal cases in recent memory. Joshlin’s mother, her boyfriend, and a friend have now been convicted of kidnapping and trafficking. But the little girl has never been found.
Joshlin was last seen in February 2024 in her coastal hometown of Saldanha Bay, about 75 miles north of Cape Town, South Africa.
The six-year-old - known for her pale skin and striking turquoise eyes - became the face of a national missing persons campaign. Search teams combed beaches, dunes, and neighborhoods. Community members banded together. Her mother, Kelly Smith — full name Racquel Chantel Smith — appeared distraught.
The mom had initially told authorities that she had left Joshlin in the care of her boyfriend, Jacquen Appollis, when the child disappeared, per CBS News.
But within weeks, public sympathy for the mother had turned.
Smith, along with her boyfriend Jacquen Appollis and friend Steveno van Rhyn, were arrested and charged with kidnapping and human trafficking. Prosecutors alleged the unthinkable: that Smith had sold her daughter to a traditional healer, or sangoma, BBC News reports.
All three pleaded not guilty.
Key testimony came from Lourentia Lombaard, a neighbor and friend of Smith’s. She testified that the mother had confided in her just before the Joshlin vanished, allegedly saying: “I did something silly. I sold my child to a sangoma".
According to Lombaard, Smith even packed Joshlin’s belongings into a black bag before going to meet a woman believed to be the healer.
She also alleged that Smith tried to buy silence: “[Smith] offered money to me and others in exchange for our silence.”
Another neighbor, Paulina Tshosa, gave a chilling account of seeing Smith “dragging the little girl into a shack during an argument.” Tshosa recalled a particularly haunting detail: “Joshlin lost a flip-flop in the struggle.” Tshosa only realized the importance of what she had witnessed after Joshlin’s photo began circulating in the media days later.
Perhaps the most disturbing claim came from Joshlin’s schoolteacher. She told the court that during the early days of the search, she had asked Smith where her daughter was. Smith allegedly replied that she had received a call saying Joshlin was “on a ship, inside a container, and they were on the way to West Africa", BBC reports.
That same claim — that Joshlin had been transported via container ship — was reportedly made by Smith multiple times during the investigation.
Prosecutors argued that Smith “sold, delivered or exchanged” Joshlin, and then lied to cover her tracks. The motive? Money — and disturbing claims that the sangoma was interested in Joshlin specifically because of her pale skin and distinctive eye color.
A local pastor testified that, a year before the disappearance, he overheard Smith talking about selling her children for 20,000 rand each — roughly $1,100 or £850 — and even said she would accept as little as $275. Though Judge Nathan Erasmus did not rule conclusively on the identity of the buyer, he said the evidence of intent and deception was overwhelming.
The verdict was delivered on May 2, 2025, at the Saldanha Multipurpose Centre, where the trial was moved to accommodate large crowds. Judge Erasmus found Kelly Smith, Jacquen Appollis, and Steveno van Rhyn guilty of kidnapping and trafficking.
As the judge read the verdict, the packed courtroom broke into applause. Others wept. Some stood frozen in disbelief. Smith was seen wiping away tears. Van Rhyn smiled inexplicably.
Outside, crowds shouted: “We want Joshlin back!”
Among them was Amanda Daniels-Smith, Joshlin’s grandmother, who told reporters: “I just want my grandchild back. It doesn’t matter how long they are going to stay in jail, but my grandchild is still gone.
“Kelly must tell me where my grandchild is, that’s all. I am angry at Kelly because nobody knows if Joshlin is still alive, and I don’t want to see her!”
Additionally, per Cape Argus, Joshlin’s paternal grandmother, Louretta Yon, said: “I am very happy that the judge convicted the three. I hope the judge will give them two life sentences. But that doesn’t matter, though what matters is that Joshlin is not with us.
“All I want is for Joshlin to be found. I am glad that the judge made this ruling. If I saw Kelly now, I would tell her that she knows what happened to Joshlin. She told me the first day Joshlin went missing that her motherly instincts told her that her daughter was still alive. I know she knows where her child is; that is why she was not willing to take the stand.
“This won’t make her talk, it might be that there is someone else behind the disappearance.”
Despite the convictions and the extensive search by authorities, the whereabouts of Joshlin remain unknown.
A woman believed to be the sangoma was arrested early in the investigation, but was released without charges due to lack of evidence. Authorities have not named her publicly. Police have pledged to continue searching for Joshlin, but no new suspects have been announced.
Joshlin’s disappearance and the trial that followed have sparked national outrage and deepened fears around child safety, poverty, and exploitation. In Middelpos, where Joshlin lived, parents have told local reporters they are terrified for their children.
The case has also put a spotlight on the abuse of traditional healing practices in South Africa. While sangomas are legally recognized under national law, criminals posing as healers have been linked to ritualistic violence, sometimes involving human body parts.
Smith, Appollis, and van Rhyn remain in custody, awaiting sentencing. All three face the possibility of life in prison. Sentencing hearings are expected in the coming weeks.