Overview
- Joshlin Smith, 6, disappeared from her home in Middelpos, South Africa, in February 2024 and has not been found despite extensive searches and a national reward campaign.
- Kelly Smith, her boyfriend Jacquen Apollis, and their friend Steveno Van Rhyn were convicted of kidnapping and trafficking by the Western Cape High Court on May 2, 2025.
- Witnesses testified that Smith sold her daughter to a traditional healer for 20,000 rand, with the child allegedly desired for her eyes and skin color.
- Judge Nathan Erasmus delivered the verdict based on testimony from 35 state witnesses, describing Smith's actions as treating her child as a 'commodity.'
- The three convicted individuals face the possibility of life imprisonment, with sentencing hearings scheduled for next week as the search for Joshlin continues.