On Saturday 23 June 2018 at about 15:00 the grandmother of the missing 6 year old Stacey Adams (also known as Jamie) sent her to the house of the mother in De La Rey Street, Eastridge, Mitchells Plain.
On Sunday morning, 24 June, the grandmother contacted the mother to get the child ready as she was going to fetch her. It was only then that they realized that the child is missing.
At 15:00 they reported the child missing at Mitchells Plain police station. An immediate search was launched by SAPS assisted by the Neighbourhood watches, Street Committees, Sector Crime Forum members and the Community Policing Forum.
While searching in De La Rey Street, the search party was alerted, by the community, of soft soil on the ground at a house there. The search party started digging and discovered an unidentified body in a shallow grave.
The members on the crime scene did a preliminary interview with a male member of that household. As the police was evacuating with this man the crowd became rowdy and threw stones and bricks at the police. They charged at the members in an attempt to get hold of this man.
While the police tried to get the alleged suspect away from the crime scene the house was petrol bombed and set alight.
The suspect had to be removed from the scene in a Nyala for his safety. The police had to use stun grenades, hand gas and rubber bullets to disperse the crowd.
Two members of the police sustained head and leg injuries as a result of the stone throwing.
The house that was set alight belongs to the sister of the alleged suspect and he stayed in the adjacent Wendy house. The fire was extinguished by a Fire and rescue team.
The family of the deceased are yet to identify the body to determine whether it is that of Stacey Adams. Mitchells Plain police have registered a case of murder and an additional charge of public violence will be added.
Anyone who has further information is requested to contact Mitchell’s Plain police at 021 370 1600.
South Africa Today – South Africa News
