Horror Bloemfontein discovery sparks urgent police manhunt

A Bloemfontein community was left reeling this week after residents made a discovery no one could have prepared for.

It has since triggered an urgent police manhunt – and there are still more questions than answers.

The horror unfolded in Bloemside on Wednesday when a resident spotted a pack of dogs dragging a newborn’s severed head along the street.

Days later and the rest of the infant’s remains still haven’t been found.

Free State Community Safety, Roads and Transport MEC Jabu Mbalula did not hide his shock, saying: “I have come across terrible things in my life, but nothing comes close to this.”

WHAT POLICE HAVE CONFIRMED SO FAR

Mbalula has instructed senior police management in Mangaung to act.

Detectives have been deployed to trace the baby’s mother and locate the rest of the remains.

Free State police spokesperson Lieutenant-Colonel Thabo Covane confirmed on Friday that the body had still not been found.

He added there is “a possibility that the body was devoured by the beasts.”

A case docket of concealment of birth has been opened. It is still not known how the baby died, or how its head ended up in the dogs’ possession.

THE APPEAL BEHIND THE INVESTIGATION

Mbalula used the moment to point struggling mothers toward existing support structures rather than judgment alone.

“Our public health institutions are available for women to address matters such as unwanted pregnancies, and we encourage them to make use of those facilities.”

Authorities have appealed to anyone with information about the mother’s whereabouts, or the location of the baby’s remains, to come forward.

Honestly, stories like this stop me in my tracks.

A newborn should never end up as a headline like this one, and I hope whatever led to this is uncovered soon, for that child’s sake.

DO YOU KNOW ANYTHING THAT COULD HELP POLICE FIND THIS BABY’S MOTHER?