A missing toddler was found d3ad, floating in the Hunyani River in Zvimba with missing body parts, five days after she disappeared.
Two-year-old Shantel Ndoro was playing with other children under a tree at their homestead on 18 October 2023. There were many people at their home because other relatives had come for the ceremony of welcoming home the spirit of the d3ad. Older kids left her and rushed to pick up termites at around 5 p.m. That was the last time anyone saw her.
The ZRP Assistant Commissioner Paul Nyathi confirmed the incident:
“ZRP Zvimba is currently investigating a case of a two-year-old girl who was playing outside and was left behind while her mother was at work. She went missing only to be found in the Hunyani River. Her body was decomposing, and it had missing parts, including eyes and nose.”
Source reports that Shantel’s mother, Sarafina Undi, had gone to work where she sews while her dad, Success Undi, had visited some relatives.
Shantel’s granny, Barbara Undi, told source:
“The child was left by older kids who had rushed to pick up termites at around 5. No one knows what then happened to the child. Her mother could not find her when it got dark and alerted others before setting out to search for her on 18 October when she vanished.
“We looked for her for five days until 23 October when we went to Hunyani River. I was the first one to spot the child’s body in the river, three kilometres from where she was playing five days prior. There were footprints where we found Shantel’s corpse.”
“We can’t believe that the child could have walked three kilometres from under the tree to the river. There are many houses along that road, and other villagers should have seen her. We reported the case to the police, and so far, three men have been arrested”.
Barbara Undi added that the abductors must have burnt Shantel’s body and doused her with oil, peeling off her skin.
Source iHarare
