A cousin never returned home one evening

Dispatcher Files

Information came to us regarding a lady who was reported missing. She had been walking to a church meeting and had sent a concerning message to a family member after noticing a vehicle driving slowly a few paces behind her. 

We managed to contact the family member in question and she confirmed that she had received the message and that her cousin had asked her to call back in a few minutes. A few minutes later she received a call from her cousin but no one spoke and all she heard was background noises, causing her to worry.  When her cousin never returned home later that evening, she went to SAPS to open a missing person’s case.

Early the next day family members received a call from a resident who reported that her cousin had turned up at their home asking for help. It emerged that  she had been kidnapped, bundled into a vehicle and forced to take pills, and that she had been raped repeatedly throughout the night.

In the morning they released her on the side of the road where she had managed to get help from the nearby homestead. 

In the days following we kept in close touch with the victim and her family, ensured that a SAPS Case was opened for kidnapping and rape, and arranged for trauma counsellors to attend to their needs. The healing process and the road to recovery will be long and difficult. 

NB: THERE IS NO WAITING PERIOD TO REPORT A MISSING PERSON!

In the event of a missing person, the following is a guideline of actions to take provided by the South African Police Service

• Report a missing person at your nearest police station immediately.
• Provide a recent photograph of the missing person, if at all possible.
• Give a complete description of the missing person’s last whereabouts, clothes that they were wearing, as well as any information that can assist the investigating officer.
• Complete and sign what’s called a SAPS 55(A) form. This form safeguards the SAPS from hoax reports and indemnifies the SAPS to distribute the photograph and information of the missing person.
• Obtain the investigating officer’s contact details, and send any additional information that might become available.
• If a missing person is found or returns voluntarily, inform the investigating officer immediately. A SAPS 92 form must then be completed to inform the Bureau of Missing Persons that the missing person’s report can be removed from the circulation system.

[Source: https://www.saps.gov.za/services/report_missing_person.php]

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