The mother of missing six-year-old Joshlin Smith has made her latest appearance in a South African court on charges of kidnapping and trafficking her daughter.
Racquel “Kelly” Smith stood in the dock for a short while, before the magistrate postponed the case until 15 July in order to give police more time to continue with their investigations.
Police have failed to achieve a breakthrough in the search for Joshlin, almost three months after she went missing from outside her home in Middelpos, a neighbourhood in the south-western Saldanha Bay region.
The police have denied accusations, levelled by the local community, that they have failed to conduct a proper investigation.
Police told the magistrate they were conducting a forensic analysis of mobile phone data as part of their search for Joshlin.
Ms Smith has been charged along with her boyfriend, Jacquen “Boeta” Appollis, and two other people.
They have not yet been asked to plead.
The magistrate remanded the four suspects in custody until the next court appearance on 15 July.
