POTCHEFSTROOM – A 22-year-old man was arrested on Wednesday, 6 July 2022, for the alleged murder of his two-year-old nephew Neo Refemetswe Tlhame whose lifeless body was found in a shallow grave at Extension 3, Blydeville outside Lichtenburg on Tuesday, 5 July 2022. The suspect was arrested after being questioned and linked with the case.
According to the information received, police were called by Neo’s mother after they spotted a suspicious grave near the river. The grave was dug out and the decomposed body of young Neo was identified with the clothes he was wearing on the day of his disappearance.
Neo went missing on Tuesday, 24 May 2022, while with his grandparents. However, Noe’s disappearance was established by his mother when she went to fetch him after work. Subsequent to the fruitless search by the community members and Neo’s family, a missing person enquiry was opened for investigation. The police also joined the search but Neo was never found. The suspect is expected to appear in the Lichtenburg Magistrates’ Court on Friday, 8 July 2022, for murder.
The Provincial Commissioner of North West, Lieutenant General Sello Kwena congratulated the Lichtenburg Detectives for the quick response that led to the arrest of the suspect. Lieutenant General Kwena said the police take crimes against children and women very serious and that this arrest proves that those who commit such crimes will not be allowed to walk free in the province.
