A 35-year-old man has been arrested in connection with the disappearance of a three-year-old girl in Juba on Wednesday while the search for her continues.
Police Officer William Achor confirmed to Radio Tamazuj that a suspect had been arrested in Gudele residential area on Wednesday morning hours.
The three-year-old child went missing on the afternoon of 17 July after she went to St. Tereza Catholic Church Cathedral with her eleven-year-old sister.
A person was taken in for questioning on Tuesday morning but he was released after police failed to connect him to the child’s disappearance. It could not be determined whether Tuesday’s arrest involved the same person originally taken in for questioning.
“The man was waiting for a taxi when he apparently saw the child walking a few steps behind the suspect. When the man got report from the neighbor and indicated that the man had walked in the direction to Konyo Konyo trading Centre,” said the officer.
Wani Elia, Gudele community secretary, says they received information from a community member in Kator area who claims to have seen the child with the suspect just before she went missing. But the child has not been found.
On Monday night, searchers in Kator area knocked on doors of shanties between Konyo Konyo and Kator residential area looking for the girl. Wani, who has been involved in the search for the child since she went missing on Sunday, said they searched late into the night on Monday.
“We knocked on every door and asked the owners if we could search their homes. Most of them were co-operative and gave us permission, while some of them also indicated that they would assist should they see or hear anything regarding the child,” he said.
He added,“We will continue to look until we have found her. The community has been very helpful in the search. We appeal to any person with information regarding the matter to come forward in order to resolve the matter. Members of the public can give information to the police under anonymity.”