Four-year-old girl brutally murdered and tossed in drain

Seventeen years after Samantha Talla’s six-year-old niece‚ Makayla Lee‚ was found murdered on a koppie in Eldorado Park‚ Extension 2 in Johannesburg‚ her daughter was found murded in the same spot.

The lifeless body of Shaynice Talla‚ who was just four years old‚ was found tossed in a drain on Wednesday evening. She had been reported missing in the afternoon.

Nita Mackay‚ Shaynice’s aunt‚ lives with her sister Samantha Talla and their four other sisters and their small children.

Mackay said she knew something was wrong when her niece didn’t meet her at the corner of the road after work.

“When I got home after 6pm‚ they [the children] usually meet me at the corner and hug and kiss me. She [Shaynice] usually asks me if I have anything for her – but yesterday there was no one.

“When I got home I noticed she wasn’t there. Her mother thought she was with her granny but she [her grandmother] said she hadn’t seen her since 4.30pm. Then we started looking‚” said Mackay.

Mackay said that Samantha went to the police at around 7pm to report her daughter missing while the community searched for Shaynice.

After 8pm they found the little girl’s body thrown in the drain.

“We had looked in that area earlier for her‚ but we didn’t see the drain. Only later after we found the drain and shone the torch down [the drain] did we see her legs sticking out‚” Mackay said.

Mackay said the suspect was found hiding behind bricks near the body.

“He had a panga in his hand‚ the community knows him because he always hangs around the tuck shop on the corner where the kids are‚” she said.

Mackay said that she did not believe that her niece was raped.

“When the mortuary van came and took her out the drain there was no blood on her pants.

“When we went to identify her body she still had her pants on‚ she had her panties on‚ even her shoes on. All that we saw wrong was that her head had been smashed in – it looks like with a brick or something.”

Mackay said that they waited long for authorities to arrive.

“We waited – all those hours with her little legs sticking up – it was the most horrific sight. The police still haven’t contacted us.”

She said that before TimesLIVE contacted her on Thursday afternoon‚ community members had told her that two other men had handed themselves over to police‚ “but I can’t confirm this”.

Mackay said that her niece‚ Makayla Lee‚ was found in the same area seventeen years ago.

“Her death was worse. She was found with her throat slit. Her pelvis was slit. They had put rocks in her vagina. She was just six. They found pornographic magazines near…” Mackay’s voice trailed off as she began to cry.

Eldorado Park community leader and anti-drug activist Dereleen James said that drugs were the reason for the crime.

“Drugs are ruining this community. The reality is that Eldorado Park has become another Cape Town. We are the forgotten community – everyone is so used to the violence here that it has become normal.

“Yesterday [Wednesday] afternoon another boy was shot – hours later we find her [Shaynice Talla’s] little body. Crime happens here everyday.”

Marcus Duplesis from Eldorado Park Extension 6 was shot dead in the street at 5.30pm. Photos of his bloodied body were posted all over social media with community members calling on the police for help.

Three hours later Talla’s body was found.

“You should see the hole he put her in‚” James said‚ referring to the drain the little girl was found in.

“Someone who was found on the scene has been arrested‚ I am not sure if he is the actual perp. But he was found near the scene‚” James said.

James said that she didn’t want to speculate as to whether the suspect acted alone because she feared that the already volatile community would turn violent.

“When the suspect was arrested community members stoned and tried to burn the van [the suspect was placed in the back of a police vehicle].

“The community is very volatile at the moment. They also tried to burn the suspect’s home last night [Wednesday]‚” James said.

James said that she felt helpless.

“I feel like I failed her [Talla]‚ little girls should be able to play anywhere.

“The community stood all around where she was found‚ looking at us [James and the police] for help.

“We don’t have the power to effect change in the community.

“We [Eldorado Park] are the next drug capital. We have all agreed – we need military to clean up. It is that bad‚ we are a community under siege‚” James said.

James also said that authorities were slow to come to the aid of the community.

“We found her at 8pm. Emergency services only pitched up at 3am [on Thursday morning] to remove the body.

“It’s little things like cutting the long grass so criminals cannot hide their crimes‚ like we have been begging the municipality to do‚” said James.

Justice was never found for her cousin‚ murdered 17 years ago. The community hopes that justice will be found for this little girl.

Police have declined to comment on the case but have confirmed that the autopsy revealed that Talla died from a lack of oxygen to the brain due to her head injury. She was not raped.

Nita Mackay said that the community had organised a night vigil to take place on Thursday night at the place where Talla’s body was found.