The judge who sentenced Joshlin Smith's mother and her two accomplices has given a poignant message.
Earlier today (May 29), Racquel 'Kelly' Smith, her boyfriend Jacquen Appollis and their friend, Steveno van Rhyn were all sentenced to life imprisonment.
The trio were convicted of kidnapping and trafficking then-six-year-old Joshlin Smith, Kelly's daughter, who went missing from her home in Western Cape, South Africa, in February 2024. The young girl's whereabouts remain unknown despite police continuing to hunt for her.
Law enforcement have pledged to continue their search for Joshlin. Western Cape police commissioner Thembisile Patekile told local media, per BBC: "We will not rest until we find [out] what happened to Joshlin. We are continuing day and night looking for her."
During the trail, a witness said that in 2023 they had overheard Kelly, a mom-of-three, talking about selling her kids for 20,000 rand reach (around $1,100 USD), but also said she'd accept $275.
Meanwhile a neighbor, Lourentia Lombaard, testified that Kelly had told her that she had sold her daughter for 20,000 rand to a traditional healer known as a sangoma who 'wanted her for her eyes and skin'.
Judge Nathan Erasmus was the one to decide the convicts' fate today and made a heartbreaking statement during which he noted that Kelly's grandmother had expressed concerns about her back in 2016.
"The evidence indicated that Miss Smith, in particular, was in need of social services for a prolonged period," Erasmus told the packed courtroom, as per Jacaranda FM.
"And I wonder, when her grandmother complained in 2016 to the Department of Social Development for a protection order, what access did she [Kelly] have when she sought support from the justice system? We failed."
Kelly, 35, is believed to have been struggling with drug addiction since she was young, over the course of which she experienced homelessness.
A social worker's report on the mother was read out in the trial which described her life as being 'in chaos'.
"She was unable to provide stable care for Joshlin from the beginning," it added.
Kelly had been to rehab after giving birth to Joshlin and the young girl was cared for by Natasha Andrews, a family friend.
She and her husband hoped to adopt Joshlin but the plan fell through due to lack of parental consent.
Speaking in the trial, Andrews said: "We could have provided for her better than her mother."
If you’ve been affected by any of these issues or want to speak to someone in confidence regarding the welfare of a child, the Childhelp USA National Child Abuse Hotline (1-800-4-A-CHILD (1-800-422-4453) operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and receives calls from throughout the United States, Canada, US Virgin Islands, Guam and Puerto Rico.