• Racquel "Kelly" Smith sentenced to life for selling her 6-year-old daughter.
• Joshlin Smith remains missing despite a massive initial search.
• The case has highlighted rising child kidnapping rates in South Africa.

A South African court sentenced Racquel "Kelly" Smith to life in prison for selling her six-year-old daughter, Joshlin Smith, in a case that has horrified the nation. Judge Nathan Erasmus delivered the sentence after finding Smith, along with her boyfriend Jacquen Appollis and a friend, guilty of human trafficking and kidnapping. They were each sentenced to an additional ten years for kidnapping, confirming that Smith had sold her daughter for approximately 20,000 rand (about $1,100) according to CBS News, The New York Times, and Africa News.

Joshlin vanished in February 2024, prompting a massive nationwide search that initially portrayed Smith as a distraught mother seeking her lost child. However, the case shifted dramatically when evidence surfaced that implicated her in the sale of her daughter for exploitation. “The accused did not show remorse,” Judge Erasmus stated, noting Smith's continued deception throughout the trial, which captivated South African society, as reported by The New York Times and Africa News.

The trial revealed that Smith and her co-defendants had sold Joshlin to a traditional healer, allegedly for her body parts, a detail that adds a chilling dimension to an already tragic narrative. Despite a photograph of the girl being widely circulated in attempts to find her, she remains missing, increasing the anguish felt by her family and the community, according to CBS News and The New York Times.