Mystery surrounds the death of 20-month old toddler Orderick Lucus, whose body was found in a drain in Eester River after a week-long search.

According to a pamphlet by missing person’s organization The Pink Ladies, Orderick was last seen on Sunday 24 March.

His mother, Davideen Lucas from Melton Rose, and grandmother Cornelia Scheepers, were arrested for negligence and child abandonment after only reporting the child missing four days later.

Western Cape police spokesperson Captain FC Van Wyk confirmed that a missing persons docket was opened at Kleinvlei police station last Thursday morning.

The pair were expected to appear in the Blue Downs Magistrate’s Court on Monday, but charges against them were provisionally withdrawn. The National Prosecuting Authority explained that there was outstanding information.

“We have returned the docket back to the police for them to attend to it. We will consider placing the matter on the roll when the docket has been returned,” explained NPA spokesperson Eric Ntabazalila.

The pair also faced charges of contravention of a court order that prohibited Lucas access to her children. This as a result of social workers noticing signs of abuse.

Orderick sustained a broken arm, burned from tik paraphernalia and bite marks while in his mother’s care. He allegedly spent two months in hospital.

Lucas admitted to News24 that she is a drug addict and does not have custody of any of her four children.

Scheepers, Lucas’s mother, is the legal guardian of her twin sons and little Orderick. Lucas’s daughter lives with her father’s mother, her grandmother.

According to the Pink Ladies flyer, Orderick was last seen by his mother’s friend who was with him from Saturday to Sunday.

The friend was identified as a local hairstylist named Melvin Volkwyn who lives in the area. The 28-year-old mother has given media houses different reasons as to why she left the child with Volkwyn, but he has reportedly said he gave the child back to her.

The pamphlet read: “He [claimed] that the mother took the child on Sunday night. Mother is saying that she not sure whom she [gave] the child to.”

It is unclear where the father of the child is.

Volkwyn and a second suspect appeared in the Blue Downs Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday on charges of kidnapping and defeating the ends of justice. Charges against the second suspect, believed to be a neighbour, were later dropped.

“There were two men arrested but charges were withdrawn against one of them as he couldn’t be linked to the crime,” NPA spokesperson Ntabazalila confirmed.

The distraught mother had received backlash from the community and was allegedly afraid to participate in the several searches for the child during the nine days he was missing.

Several children who were playing in Witterbol Street discovered his body on Tuesday afternoon when they lifted a drain cover to retrieve the ball they were playing with.

Kleinfvlei CPF chairperson Julian Umthank said only one of the children saw the body and called an off duty police officer who notified police. He added that there were at least seven children between the ages of 7 and 13.

He noted that the CPF’s assessment is that the child was murdered either on Sunday or Monday and dumped in the drain.

Meanwhile, Minister of Social Development Albert Fritz has condemned the brutal murder and has offered assistance to those affected.

“Violence against children is abhorrent and we cannot stand for it in our communities. Events such as these have traumatizing affects on families and the community that surrounds it. The Western Cape Department of Social Development has since intervened and provided psychosocial support to the affected family members.”

Fritz further urged anyone with information to report to their nearest police station.

“I call on anyone with information about Oderick Lucas to immediately report to their nearest police station.”

Alternatively, the Crime Stop hotline is available at 08600 10111.

The case against Volwyn has been postponed to 9 April and he will remain in custody.

VOC