Joshlin vanished on February 19, 2024, hence her whereabouts remain unknown despite her convictions. The story has evolved into a national tragedy attracting public interest all throughout South Africa.
Bianca van Aswegen, a criminologist from National Outcry and Continuous Hope, compared the situation to Madeleine McCann’s and underlined the concerning reality of child trafficking in South Africa.
“Because many cases go unreported, it is far more of a crisis than police figures really show us,” she said, according to BBC News.
Van Aswegen also said: “I have never really seen a case blow up like this in South Africa before.”
Given 632 children reported missing last year and almost 8,700 over the past ten years, it is abundantly evident how urgently this issue needs to be addressed.
Joshlin’s adoptive family keeps optimism despite the outcome. Fourteen-year-old daughter of Natasha Andrews, Tayla, penned a poem capturing her suffering and yearning.
“We simply want to give you another hug,” Andrews added. “You are our green-eyed child, our bloom, our baby.”
