Katie 
Cape Town, South Africa: 56-year-old Daniel Smit made an appearance in court on Monday. He stands accused of killing 13-year-old Jerobejin van Wyk who had last been seen on Wednesday, February 2 when he and some friends reportedly headed out to pick mangos.
Police spokesperson Andre Trout said, "Our investigation into the disappearance of a 13-year-old boy led to the arrest of a 56-year-old man in Klawer on a charge of kidnapping. According to the reports the missing boy was accused of stealing fruit at the suspect's residence on Second Avenue on Wednesday 2 February and was pursued by him.
"The boy has since not been seen," Trout continued. "Investigation led detectives to the suspect's residence in the afternoon where human remains were discovered in a sewage pipe on the premises. The body of the victim is yet to be found and it is too soon to speculate on the identity of the remains that were found. Our investigation has not been concluded and our forensic experts are still in the process of examining the crime scene in search of more leads."
Smit has been charged with murder, kidnapping, assault with intent to cause grievous bodily harm and defeating the ends of justice.
More charges may be filed against him though, as his attorney has disclosed that Smit has told her about previous murders.
Santie Human began by saying, "My client got involved in the occult when he was 13 years old. In Vredendal he met someone from out of town who gave him stuff about the occult to read. He felt he belonged- part of it.
"When he was 19, an occult group from Sea Point showed him how to kill with very little blood spilt and to incinerate the body and to throw any remains into the sea."
"He did tell me there were another four bodies in Sea Point," Human said.
"My client is not a sick person as in mental health problems," she said, "He has spiritual problems... He wants to be delivered from the evil spirits." Human stated that she had "arranged for a well-known spiritual leader in [the] community, Jan Oosthuizen, to assist."
Smit will not be seeking bail and his attorney requested on Monday that he be placed in a cell by himself for the safety of other inmates.
The next court date is scheduled for April 26, 2022 to allow time for further investigation.
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