Mom finds decomposed body of missing Delmas teen under family's bed

The uncle of a missing 15-year-old girl, whose decomposed body was found hidden under a bed at her home last month, was this week charged with her murder, Mpumalanga police said on Tuesday.

The 37-year-old man, who had been staying with the mother and teenager, appeared in the Delmas magistrate's court on Monday, said police spokesperson Brig Leonard Hlathi.  

Preliminary investigations revealed that the man had previously been accused of raping and brutally stabbing another young girl in Gauteng in 2007. He is yet to be charged for that case, Hlathi said.

The teenager went missing on February 21 and, four days later, a case was opened at the Delmas police station.  

“The report indicates that on February 22, the family started to get worried as the girl had never been away from home for a long period without contacting them. The family then made efforts to contact her friends, inquiring about her whereabouts. However, this did not yield results,” Hlathi said.

At the time of the teenager's disappearance, her mother had been admitted to hospital. She was discharged on February 24.

“She went home and found that her daughter was still missing. The mother grew concerned on February 25 when relatives started arriving to help search for the girl,” said Hlathi.

An extensive search was conducted. One family member noticed  an unusual smell in the house, but brushed it off as the house had not been cleaned in a while as the mother had being hospitalised, Hlathi said.

The family, however, noted that since the teen had gone missing, the uncle had disappeared.

“The girl's mother started cleaning the house [on February 26], which led to the gruesome discovery of her daughter's partly decomposed body under the bed,” said Hlathi.  

A manhunt for the uncle was launched and he was found in a squatter camp in Delmas, where he was arrested.

Provincial police commissioner Lt-Gen Mondli Zuma condemned the “senseless murder”.

“Adults, including parents and guardians, are tasked with looking after children. However, they have now turned into monsters who seemingly harm children. Children are being subjected to gross abuse, where they are being victimised and killed by people who should protect them.

“These heinous crimes against children must stop. I urge the detectives, the prosecution and the judiciary to ensure justice is served in this case and, should the man be found guilty, then he must be locked up for a very long time,” said Zuma.

Hlathi said police had established that the uncle had been issued with a warrant of arrest in a 2006 case, when he was allegedly found in possession of suspected stolen property.

He returns to court for this case on March 9 for a bail application.