Cape Town – North West police arrested a 22-year-old man on Wednesday for the alleged murder of his two-year-old nephew Neo Refemetswe Tlhame whose lifeless body was found in a shallow grave in Blydeville outside Lichtenburg, North West.
Neo had been missing for more than a month.
“Neo went missing on Tuesday, 24 May 2022, while with his grandparents. However, Noe’s disappearance was established by his mother when she went to fetch him after work.
“Subsequent to the fruitless search by the community members and Neo’s family, a missing person enquiry was opened for investigation. The police also joined the search but Neo was never found,” police spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Amanda Funani said in a statement.
ALSO READ | Two sets of twins aged 8 and 13 die in shack fire at informal settlement
Neo’s body was later found in Blydeville outside Lichtenburg on Tuesday.
“According to the information received, police were called by Neo’s mother after they spotted a suspicious grave near the river. The grave was dug out and the decomposed body of young Neo was identified with the clothes he was wearing on the day of his disappearance,” said Funani.
The suspect was expected to appear in the Lichtenburg Magistrate’s Court on Friday, July 8 for murder.
Provincial police commissioner Lieutenant-General Sello Kwena commended the police for the quick response that led to the arrest.
Follow African Insider on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram
Picture: Facebook/ South African Police Service
For more African news visit, Africaninsider.com
Compiled by Olwethu Mpeshe
