A South African woman has been sentenced
to life in prison for selling her 6-year-old
daughter, in a case that shocked the nation.
Kelly Smith, whose full name is Racquel Chantel
Smith, was sentenced alongside her boyfriend,
Jacquen Appollis, and their friend, Steveno van
Rhyn. All three received life sentences for
human trafficking and an additional 10 years
each for kidnapping.

The sentences were handed down by Judge Nathan Erasmus in
Saldanha Bay, a town on South Africa’s west
coast, where the trial was moved to a local
sports center to allow the community to attend.

Joshlin, Smith’s daughter, went missing in
February 2024, sparking a nationwide search.
Initially, Smith was seen as a victim, with many
community members rallying to help police
search for the young girl near their poor
neighborhood close to Saldanha Bay. A
photograph of Joshlin, smiling with her hair in
pigtails, was widely broadcast across South
Africa during the hunt.

However, the case took a dark turn when Smith
was arrested. During the trial, a witness testified
that Smith admitted to selling her daughter,
along with the two men, for about $1,000 to a
traditional healer who sought the child for her
body parts.

The judge’s verdict did not clarify who the child
was sold to or what exactly happened to her but
confirmed she was sold for slavery or practices
akin to slavery. To this day, Joshlin remains
missing.