Six-year-old Sandisiwe Sintwa was last seen in the company of a man holding a puppy at her home in the Free State. Five days later her partially decomposed body was found at a dump site.
The little girl had been reported missing on Saturday after it was alleged that the man had taken her from her home in Chris Hani‚ Mangaung.
Sintwa had been playing with a friend at the time.
SAPS spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Thandi Mbambo said the little girl’s decomposing body was found under a tree near Phase 5 in Mangaung on Thursday morning.
“No visible injuries could be seen on the body and a postmortem will be conducted to determine the cause of death and also to determine if she was sexually assaulted‚” Mbambo said.
The Provincial Commissioner of the Free State‚ Lieutenant General Lebeoana Tsumane‚ has strongly condemned the killing.
“Our condolences to the family of this little innocent girl‚” Tsumane said. “I already instructed the investigating team to leave no stone unturned in this case.”
SAPS have asked anyone with information to contact the investigating officer‚ Constable Tsietsi Thulo of the Family‚ Child Protection and Sexual Offences Unit on 051 406 4401.
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