4-year-old girl's body found in pieces strewn across field after man, 30, lured her away with sweets
EKURHULENI, SOUTH AFRICA: The body of a little girl was found cut into small pieces and littered across a field after a man lured her away by offering her sweets. Bokgabo Poo, 4, vanished from her home in Ekurhuleni, South Africa, on Monday, October 10.
The man, identified as Ntokozo Zikhali, 30, was seen offering the four-year-old sweets outside the property in Wattville Township shortly before she disappeared. The next day, Bokgabo's mutilated body was found chopped into pieces, spread across a nearby field.
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According to the Sun, a 63-year-old woman found the remains of the child after noticing toes sticking out of the ground while cleaning the area. The woman then alerted the authorities who confirmed the body belonged to the four-year-old.
Police arrested Zikhali on Friday, October 14 after it was reported that he was seen luring Bokgabo from her home. Lieutenant Colonel Masondo said, "He is reported to be the last person to be seen with missing Bokgabo Poo."
A manhunt was launched by locals and authorities for the accused and he was apprehended at a petrol station in Boksburg after an employee spotted him and notified the police. The 30-year-old was charged with counts of kidnapping, rape, murder, defeating the ends of justice, and violating a corpse.
The mother of the child, Tsholofelo Poo, told the Sunday Times, “I would like to see the death penalty come back, just for him.” A primary caregiver by profession, Poo was unable to spend time with her daughter on the day of her death, owing to a hectic work schedule.
She said, “About 6.30 pm I was called [by Bokgabo’s grandmother] and asked to come home. I had to rush back and asked where they last saw her. They said at the park. I went to the park and we found four children playing and it was getting dark. I asked if they had seen Bokgabo and they said they hadn’t.”
Poo then sought help from a community safety leader to find her child. She said, “The whistle [alerting people there was a need for assistance] was immediately blown and people started coming out and searched. I went back and asked the friend she was with if he remembered anything."
Poo added, “He said a guy came and gave him R2 to buy lollipops. Then I just knew. I just knew. In the midst of crying, my mother and the father went to the police station to open an inquiry. The poor boy didn’t remember who this guy was or what he was wearing, he was traumatized.”
The 30-year-old alleged killer was a familiar face in the neighborhood, according to a female community member who said, “He is always around children, he calls himself Harry Potter. He always has money and sweets in his school bag." She added, “At our workplace, there’s free Wi-Fi and he was always there surrounded by children, we liked him."
Furthermore, it was revealed in court that the accused also has a pending case of rape of a nine-year-old.