A Free State man is expected to appear in the Hertzogville Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday for the murder of his four-year-old stepson.
The 24-year-old man was arrested after the toddler was found wrapped in blankets and curtains.
The provincial police spokesperson, Lieutenant-Colonel Thabo Covane, said the suspect was arrested on Monday, August 10.
“On Monday, the police in Hertzogville attended to a scene of crime at the Old Cemetery in Malebogo (a township area located adjacent to Hertzogville). According to reports, the body of a child with bad injuries to the head was found wrapped in blankets and curtains. Local Criminal Record Centre (LCRD) experts based in Welkom were summoned to process the scene,” Covane said.
A case of murder was opened at the Hertzog police station after the child’s lifeless body was found.
During the police’s preliminary investigation, the identity of the toddler was uncovered.
“The victim was identified as a four-year-old boy from Malebogo. The address was visited, and the bloodstained parts of the blankets and curtains, as well as clothing that is presumed to belong to the deceased boy, were discovered,” Covane said.
Police arrested the 24-year-old man.
“The police arrested the 24-year-old male, who is the deceased’s stepfather, as a suspect,” Covane said.
