A dismayed and heartbroken Bethelsdorp father is struggling to understand why his girlfriend of four years allegedly strangled his nine-year-old daughter to death at Maitlands Beach before handing herself over to the police.
Sitting in his family home in Extension 28 on Wednesday, Quinton Goodman, 35, said he was still trying to make sense of the last few days.
He is in disbelief that his daughter, Quinisha Sebrant, was killed on Monday, and his 25-year-old girlfriend was arrested for the murder.
“I still can’t believe this. I still find myself thinking the police got it wrong, or someone is lying. This cannot be what is really happening,” a tearful Goodman said.
Quinisha and the suspect were last seen leaving Goodman’s home on Monday morning.
The father reported them missing that evening when they had not returned home and he was unable to contact them.
In the early hours of Tuesday, police contacted him with the worst possible news.
According to Goodman his girlfriend, who cannot be named until her first court appearance on Thursday, came to his house shortly after 8am on Monday to fetch Quinisha.
They had an appointment at a hairdresser and after she helped the little girl get dressed, they left in an e-hailing vehicle.
“We had been together for so long. Quinisha loved her and she was like a mother to her. They often did things together and there was nothing different or strange about Monday,” Goodman said.
However, at about 4pm, Goodman became uneasy and started wondering where they were. His phone calls went straight to voicemail and on visiting his girlfriend’s parents, he was told they last saw her when she left to pick up Quinisha.
“After reporting them missing at the police station, I visited friends and every possible place I could think of, but nobody had seen or heard from them. I eventually visited the hospitals, because now I had started to panic and something was clearly wrong.”
The search turned up nothing and he eventually returned home shortly after 1am on Tuesday.
At about 3am, there was a knock on the door from the police.
“Officers from Bethelsdorp came to tell us that my girlfriend handed herself over to the police, and officers from Kabega were dispatched to Maitlands where they found my daughter’s body,” Goodman said.
“I got angry with the police. I thought they were lying. I thought they weren’t doing their job properly. Even now, after we have spoken to several officers, and they shared their evidence with us, there is still a part of me that refuses to believe them.”
Police spokesperson Col Priscilla Naidu said the 25-year-old suspect had allegedly hitchhiked to Maitlands Beach with Quinisha during the course of Monday.
“It is further alleged that the child swam at the beach and at some time in the afternoon, she was strangled and left on the beach.
“At about 9pm, the suspect went to the satellite police station in Seaview to report the incident. The body of the child was found at Maitlands Beach.”
Naidu said the woman was detained on a charge of murder and the motive for the killing was unknown.
I believe the police, but a part of me cannot accept it. I love this woman, and so did my daughter. I was going to marry her and we were going to spend our lives together
— Quinton Goodman, father
“I believe the police, but a part of me cannot accept it,” Goodman said. “I love this woman, and so did my daughter. I was going to marry her and we were going to spend our lives together.
“If anything was wrong, or I did something to upset her, she never showed it. I trusted her with my most important thing in my life and it was taken from me. I am angry at myself because I was not there when my daughter needed me most.”
Goodman’s eldest sister, Michelle Jenneker, said her brother and niece were inseparable.
“Quinisha worshipped her father. Her teachers even told us how much she spoke about him and that Quinton was her biggest hero. And yesterday I found Quinton sleeping with one of Quinisha’s dolls next to him.
“He blames himself for what happened, and despite us telling him it wasn’t his fault, he cannot forgive himself,” Jenneker said, tears welling up in her eyes as she held her crying brother.
Jenneker said they had all cried on Wednesday morning when it dawned on them that their usual routine would no longer include the little girl.
“Quinisha was always the first to wake up, and the first words spoken in our house every morning were: ‘Daddy, can you make me some porridge?’ When we did not hear her voice this morning, we all wept. Our lives have changed forever,” Jenneker said.
Goodman said the family planned to attend the court proceedings.
“I want to see her. I want to look at her and see if I can figure out what happened. I want to ask her what went wrong. I need closure,” he said.
The family of the accused were contacted telephonically but declined to comment.
Support independent journalism by subscribing to the Sunday Times. Just R20 for the first month.
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.