She Sold Her Daughter, 6, for Her 'Eyes and Skin' — Now the Girl Is Still Missing as Mom Learns Her Fate

A South African mother and two others were sentenced to life in prison this week for trafficking the woman’s 6-year-old daughter.

Racquel “Kelly” Smith, who was convicted on kidnapping and trafficking charges earlier in May after authorities claimed she possibly sold her daughter to a local healer, was sentenced on Thursday, May 29, alongside boyfriend Jacquen Appollis and friend Steveno van Rhyn, according to CNN, CBS News and the BBC. The sentencing comes more than a year after Smith’s daughter, Joshlin Smith, went missing from her Saldanha Bay home in February 2024. She remains missing.

Judge Nathan Erasmus sentenced Smith and the two men to life in prison for human trafficking, as well as a concurrent 10 years for kidnapping, per CBS News.

During the sentencing, the South African judge said the mother showed “no indication of remorse” over her daughter’s disappearance, with CBS News noting that the courtroom cheered amid the verdict. “There is nothing that I can find that is redeeming and deserving of a lesser sentence than the harshest I can impose,” Judge Erasmus said.

Per both CNN and CBS News, Erasmus said that the fact that the perpetrators were drug users was not an excuse for their actions. Joshlin’s grandmother was also present in court, wearing a T-shirt featuring Joshlin’s face.

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On May 2, Smith was convicted of trafficking her daughter, Reuters reported earlier this month, with the BBC also reporting that Appollis and van Rhyn were found guilty on their respective kidnapping and trafficking charges in connection with the girl’s disappearance.

Per the BBC, a neighbor at the trial testified that Smith confided in her about plans to sell her daughter to a traditional healer who “wanted her for her eyes and skin” before the child vanished. All three denied involvement in Joshlin’s disappearance at the time.

Lourentia Lombaard, Smith’s neighbor, testified that the mother told her she “did something silly” and “sold my child to a sangoma” — a traditional South African healer — adding that she also offered her money in exchange for her silence, the BBC previously noted. Joshlin’s teacher reportedly added at the trial that Kelly told her Joshlin was “on a ship, inside a container, and they were on the way to West Africa.”

Edna Maart, Joshlin’s teacher, described the girl as a “very tidy” and quiet student, per the outlet.

According to the BBC, a pastor also testified that the mother once spoke of selling her children for 20,000 rand (roughly $1,100) each.

The BBC previously reported that a woman believed to be a healer was arrested and questioned while authorities were searching for Joshlin before being released due to a lack of evidence. Smith broke into tears when her guilty verdict was read earlier this month.

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More than 17,000 kidnappings took place in South Africa during the 2023/2024 financial year, according to CBS News, which cites police statistics. That marked an 11% increase over the previous year.

If you suspect child abuse, call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child or 1-800-422-4453, or go to www.childhelp.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.