Blood found on bed and school book of Jayden-Lee Meek, court hears

The blood trail uncovered by police showed Fleurhof pre-teen Jayden-Lee Meek was murdered in his own home.

A blunt-force head injury was the cause of death, according to the charge sheet seen by TimesLIVE Premium at the Roodepoort magistrate's court on Monday during the first appearance of his mother, Tiffany Nicole Dunn Meek.

The 31-year-old will stand trial on charges of murder, crimen injuria, attempting to defeat or obstruct the course of justice and defeating or obstructing the administration of justice. She remains in custody pending a bail hearing on Friday.

The document states she is alleged to have hit or struck him with an as yet unknown object.

The grade 6 pupil at the Royal College in Florida on the West Rand was last seen on the afternoon of May 13 when he was dropped off at his family's apartment complex by scholar transport. He was reported missing to police shortly before midnight. A search was initiated and his body was found on the stairwell outside the flat early the next morning.

“The child’s bed had blood on it. His school clothing and bag were found in the accused's house or unit, with one of the schoolbooks having blood on it,” the charge sheet stated. 

“Forensic analysis confirmed that the blood was of the deceased, and various other evidence confirmed the deceased was harmed in the house.”

When Tiffany reported him missing, she allegedly indicated the child did not return from school. The state said she had the mistaken belief she would not be suspected and her house would not be searched in this scenario.  As a result of her actions, other people came under suspicion and their houses were searched.

The deputy minister of police, Shela Polly Boshielo, and deputy national commissioner of police, Lt-Gen Tebello Mosikili, attended the court case on Monday. 

“It is unfortunate that Jayden was killed and found in the very space where he should have been safe and secure — his residential complex,” Boshielo said.

The investigating and tracking teams have been hard at work to follow all leads and gather the necessary evidence to present a case that would be able to stand up in court, she said.

“Our investigating team was working closely with the National Prosecuting Authority on this case.”

She said the investigation had not been an easy one. Police received a lot of backlash for their response to the murder and the time it took to find the information that led to an arrest.

“We will be following this case closely until there is a successful conviction in this matter. At this stage, we cannot rule out the possibility of more arrests as investigations into the murder of Jayden-Lee continue,” said Boshielo. 

Mosikili said at this stage, the motive for the murder was unknown: “Both the provincial team as well as the Florida team are working on uncovering what could have been the motive for the murder.”