Father arrested after son’s body found hidden under bed

Free State

Cape Town – A 28-year-old father from the Mashaeng area near Fouriesburg in the Free State has been arrested and now faces a murder charge after the body of his six-year-old son was discovered hidden under a bed in his home.

Police said the child had been reported missing before a community member entered the father’s residence on Sunday morning and noticed “darkness and disorder” in one of the bedrooms.

Clothes were scattered around the room, prompting the visitor to shine a cellphone light under the bed, where the child’s body was found.

South African Police Service (SAPS) spokesperson Warrant Officer Mmako Mophiring said, “It is alleged that on that day, the father assaulted the child with a wooden stick in the presence of the grandmother.” The grandmother had last seen the boy on Thursday, prior to the discovery of his body.

The suspect was apprehended by police after the discovery and is expected to make his first appearance in the Fouriesburg Magistrate’s Court today.

Mophiring said emergency services were called to the scene, but the child was declared deceased shortly after their arrival. Witnesses reported that the body showed visible bruising, intensifying concern over the circumstances leading up to the boy’s death.

Police have opened a murder investigation and continue to probe the tragic case.

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