The search for a Lavender Hill mom who was kidnapped by masked gunmen ended in tears after police discovered her body buried on a veldjie near Capricorn.
Cops have since busted three members of the Junky Funky Kidz gang for the kidnapping and murder of Charlene Josephs who disappeared without a trace on 10 July.
At the time her worried family were left dumbfounded by the incident which saw the kidnappers enter her home while she was watching TV and snatch her under the cover of darkness.
At the time, police spokesperson, Captain FC van Wyk, said cops discovered that Josephs was at her home watching TV when the electricity went out and four unknown men entered the house with a flashlight and dragged her out of the house at gunpoint.
Van Wyk said: “No shots fired and no injuries were reported.
“The suspects faces were covered to hide their identity. They fled the scene in an unknown small silver vehicle parked outside the house. The motive is believed to be gang related. The investigation and search continues.“
This week police revealed that an investigation by a multidisciplinary team comprising of the Provincial Organised Crime’s Anti-Kidnapping Team, Crime Scene Investigations (CSI), Operation Lockdown, Steenberg Visible Policing and detectives, Muizenberg Vispol as well as City of Cape Town Law Enforcement led to the discovery of Josephs’ body.
Van Wyk reports: “A multi-disciplinary investigation team was established to probe the matter.
“Their persistence paid off when they followed up on clues and information which led to the arrest of a 23-year-old man on 18 August 2024 in connection with the kidnapping.
“The accused already appeared in the Wynberg Magistrate's Court on a charge of kidnapping on Monday.
“Further investigations led to the arrest of a 49-year-old suspect and the arrests of this suspect ultimately led to the discovery of the body of the kidnapped woman who was recovered from a sand grave in a deserted area behind the municipal landfill site in Muizenberg on the same day. The body had multiple stab wounds.”
Shortly before the appearance of suspects Faried and Charles Williams, cops also pounced on the alleged leader of the Junky Funkys gang and also slapped him with murder charges for Josephs.
Jason "Fabulous" Arendse, 31, appeared on a separate matter but was immediately arrested and charged with the murder of Josephs.
During a brief appearance at Wynberg Court yesterday, the case was postponed to 6 September for a formal bail hearing and the trio were sent to prison.