WALVIS BAY – Family members of the one-year-old boy who was allegedly killed on Friday by his mother, a former policewoman, said his father was trying to get full custody of the child.
The little boy, identified as Amare Alejandro Jose Boois, was allegedly killed and buried in a shallow grave by his mother at farm Bucholzbrun in the Bethanie area on Thursday.
While we can publish the name of the deceased, as his next of kin have been informed, the mother can not be named until she appears in court.
An aunt of the little boy, Dessery Hammerslag, yesterday told New Era that they are saddened by his death as her brother was trying to remove him from his mother’s care.
“We feared for his life, as the suspect was abusive and also not mentally well. He was in our care for a while in Rehoboth before she demanded him back and took him to Swakopmund,” she said.
Hammerslag said the suspect was expected to bring Boois back this month as she was apparently planning to go and study. They only handed him over because the suspect’s
mother promised that he would be safe with them.
“She previously also cared for him, and we really did not expect that he would be killed,” the traumatised aunt added.
According to her, they realised that the suspect was not planning to bring him back, and her brother thus decided to travel from the north to apply for full custody in Rehoboth.
“However, we learned last week that the suspect and her son went missing. To our shock, she was never reported missing, despite her mental state. We don’t know what happened in Swakopmund, and how she ended in Bethanie. But it is sad that our little boy had to die at the hands of his mother,” Hammerslag said.
Crime investigations coordinator for the
//Kharas region, deputy commissioner Nicodemus Mbango, on Friday said they were alerted by a farmer about a shallow grave found by a worker.
“The suspect allegedly arrived at the farmhouse, asked for water and left. The farmer noticed that something was not well, and decided to keep an eye on her as she was walking away,” the officer narrated.
Mbango said the farmer allegedly saw her fiddling in the ground, and then sent his worker to inspect.
“The farmworker discovered a shallow grave and shoe prints around it, and they immediately alerted the police,” he added.
According to Mbango, police opened the shallow grave, and found the body of the boy with a stab wound in the back. They also found a handbag with documents at the crime scene.
“The documents included an appointment certificate of the suspect, as well as documents of the deceased.
We also found a wire hanging on a tree close to the murder scene, and believe that the suspect tried to commit suicide,” he observed.
The suspect was arrested on farm Bucholzbrun on Friday.
She is receiving medical attention at the Keetmanshoop state hospital under police guard.
Emergency worker Sean Naude initially circulated a post of the mother and son who went missing in Swakopmund on 9 January.
On Friday, in an updated post, he advised people to first approach the Namibian Police and lodge a missing persons’ report.
“In this case, the direct family neglected to approach the police for assistance, and this resulted in a tragic ending. Therefore, we advise people to always first approach the police before going to alternative sources. If turned down, take the officer’s name, and follow up with senior officials,” he appealed.