A suspect has been detained for questioning after the body of an 11-year-old girl was discovered in a canal near Ithemba Farms over the weekend, Cape Town police said.
Also read: Body of missing 11-year-old Cape Town girl discovered in canal
Monneashia Prins went missing on February 9, and she was last seen wearing grey school trousers and a pink hoodie.
She was last seen near Ithemba Farms, close to Blue Downs and the Eerste River.
The police had no idea who the child was when her body was discovered.
Sergeant Wesley Twigg, the Western Cape police spokesperson, confirmed that an inquest docket had been opened.
‘Kleinvlei police registered an inquest for investigation after the body of an unknown child was discovered in a canal near Ithemba Farms on Saturday, February 10,’ Twigg said.
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‘The victim was covered in mud and was declared deceased on the scene by medical personnel. A post-mortem will be conducted to determine the cause of death.’
However, Twigg confirmed that a missing persons report was filed on Sunday, February 11.
By Tuesday, police had confirmed that the unidentified body discovered was that of the missing primary school student.
‘It was established that the body that was found was that of the child that was reported missing. The circumstances surrounding the incident are under investigation,’ Twigg said.
Twigg confirmed on Thursday that a suspect had been arrested in connection with Prins’ murder.
He also confirmed the rape.
‘We can confirm that a 19-year-old man was taken in for questioning regarding the murder, rape, and kidnapping of the 11-year-old girl whose body was found in a canal on Saturday, February 10, in Old Faure Road, Eerste River. He will appear in the Blue Downs Magistrate’s Court once he has been charged,’ Twigg said.
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Picture: Spurwing Primary School / Facebook