The family of an 11-year-old girl who was reported missing last week had the grim task of identifying her body in the morgue on Tuesday.
Monneashia Prins was last seen on Friday afternoon, and on Saturday her lifeless body was found in the bushes near her home in Ithemba Farms informal settlement, Eerste River.
The community had no idea that the girl was dead as her parents believed she was visiting her ouma in Forest Village.
When relatives called the granny on Saturday night, they were shocked to learn that Monneashia wasn’t there.
A family member, who did want to be named, says the Grade 4 learner often slept over at friends or her ouma but would come home early the next morning.
The source says: “We became worried when it was night time [on Saturday] and the first thing we did on Sunday morning was to go to the police to file a missing person’s report.”
That was when the family heard about a body that was found in bushes near their home.
Yesterday they went to the mortuary where they discovered that the deceased person was Monneashia.
The hartseer relative says: “We don’t know how she was murdered, we are waiting for the post-mortem.”
Neighbour Linda Adams says Monneashia was a lovely child.
Linda reveals: “Mona, as I called her, was a good girl, with a kind heart, she was always helpful.
“The last good deed was helping me with my groceries when she saw me near Old Faure, she then dropped them off and went home.
“I was very shocked when I found out that she had been murdered.”
A spokesperson for the Western Cape Missing Persons Unit, Francois April, says they assisted in the search of the missing girl.
April reports: “I was informed on Monday of a missing child who had been missing since Friday.
“I went to the scene and met with the family. I was told there was a body that was found, but at the time it wasn’t confirmed that it was her.
“Yesterday morning it was then confirmed it was the missing girl’s body that was found.”
Meanwhile, Police spokesperson Sergeant Wesley Twigg confirmed Kleinvlei police registered an inquest for investigation after the body of an unknown child was discovered in a canal near Ithemba Farms on Saturday.
Twigg says: “The victim was covered in mud and was declared deceased on the scene by medical personnel.
“A post-mortem will be conducted to determine the cause of death.
“It was established that the body that was found is that of the child that was reported missing. The circumstances surrounding the incident are under investigation.”
Anyone with any information can contact Crime Stop on 08600 10111.
mandilakhe.tshwete@inl.co.za