No Trace Of Missing Girl

ONALENNA MODIKWA
Staff Writer | Monday April 12, 2010 00:00

The girl who was four years old then was last seen in 25 November, 2008 when she accompanied her grandmother to the lands. The grandmother apparently sent her back to the village with a relative to have something to eat when the suspect allegedly kidnapped her on the way.

Villagers started mobilising a search team immediately upon discovering that the girl was missing and the suspect was remanded in police custody after he failed to tell them exactly where he kept the child.

Last year villagers sent a delegation to Gabion to petition Police Commissioner, Thebeyame Tsimako, who then referred them to CID chief Wilmon Karihindi, according to the search team leader, Cry Molatlhegi.

Molatlhegi indicated that after the petition, Karihindu visited the village and scrutinised the case and found some loopholes in the way the police officer had investigated the case.

'Our worry was that some people who were key to the case were never investigated  leaving us disappointed by the police.

We even requested the CID chief to appoint new officers to handle the case as we had lost hope in the one currently handling the case,' said Molatlhagi.

He said they are now waiting for feedback from the police about the charge that the suspect will face and noted that they have been told that the suspect is likely face a charge of kidnapping and murder. 'We really want the girl's family to get justice in this case. The suspect is currently on bail and stays in the village,' he said.

At some point the suspect admitted to kidnapping and took the police to a nearby river where he said he buried the girl but nothing came of it as he pointed to a spot with grass without any sign of digging.

'Later he told us together with the police that he threw the child in a borehole.

We then converged at the said borehole, emptied the water and lowered one police officer inside but nothing came out,' according to Molatlhedgi.

Kgosi Boitumelo Garegae has also confirmed that they have lost hope in searching as there are no longer any leads. 'We are just pinning our hopes on the government to give the mourning family the justice they deserve,' the chief said.

CID Commissioner could not be reached for comment as he was said to be in a meeting.

When Mmegi visited the emotionally struck family a week after the incident, they were patiently waiting for anyone to bring them good news about the discovery of the girl.

The mother had just given birth to another baby and the family feared to break the sad news that the girl is believed to be dead.

The initial search was done by the family who discovered the last tracks of the child where the suspect picked her up and threatened to kill the companion if she ever dared telling anyone.

Botswana Defence Force choppers were at some point engaged to conduct the search and some divine healers were also involved at the kgotla to assist locate the child.