A man has been arrested in connection with the murder of a nine-year-old girl in Knysna, Western Cape police said on Sunday.
Captain Bernadine Steyn said the man, 32, was arrested shortly after the little girl’s body was found on Saturday night.
“The deceased… was playing with her friends… [on Saturday] morning at approximately 10am when the suspect approached them on foot.
“He offered to walk with [her] through the bushes to a nearby shop to buy chips. The suspect was seen coming back from the shop alone,” said Steyn.
The girl’s family reported her missing in the afternoon.
Police and community members began searching for her, and her body was found shortly before 9pm.
“She had an open wound in her neck,” said Steyn.
Police were investigating whether she had also been raped.
The man was arrested and charged with murder. He was expected to appear in the Knysna Magistrate’s Court soon.