Child Sold in Grabouw for R25 000

Nearly 20 years ago, five-year-old Florencia Langenhoven left her Ravensmead home to play in the street. She never returned.

A few weeks later a neighbour, Aubrey Hendricks, admitted to snatching her and told her mother he had sold the fair-haired, green-eyed girl to a man in Grabouw for R25 000.

Hendricks was jailed for 10 years.

Florencia has not been seen since. She was last seen on December 5, 1993 in the street outside her home.

About an hour later Florencia’s mother, Cathy Langenhoven, noticed her daughter was no longer there.

Police spokesman Frederick van Wyk said an abduction docket was opened.

Hendricks, then 48 years old, was arrested and convicted of having snatched Florencia.

Van Wyk said Hendricks had admitted he abducted Florencia. He said he had given her to a man he identified only as Sipho. He was sentenced to 10 years’ imprisonment, which he served at the Helderberg Prison.

His information about Sipho was followed up, but nothing came of this.

Van Wyk said that the year after Florencia disappeared, police, following up on leads, searched an informal settlement in Hout Bay for her, but found nothing.

Van Wyk said bushes in Kort Street, Grabouw, had been scoured with the help of sniffer dogs.

Again police came up empty-handed.

Van Wyk said that on October 5, 1994, nearly a year after Florencia had last been seen, human remains were discovered in Nyanga.

It was hoped these were Florencia’s so the case could be closed, but the remains turned out to be those of a boy.

Van Wyk said no leads or information had surfaced over the years.

Michelle Ohlsson, whose nine-year-old son Matthew disappeared 14 years ago, said Langenhoven, with whom she is friends, and her family had struggled to cope after Florencia disappeared. The family did not have a telephone or cellphones and were rarely at their Ravensmead home.

Ohlsson said she often battled to get hold of the family.

The Cape Times was unable to reach them.

Ohlsson said Hendricks had been arrested a few weeks after Florencia disappeared.

“He admitted to selling her. He told (Langenhoven): ‘I sold your child to a person in Grabouw for R25 000.’ But Florencia wasn’t found.”

Ohlsson said that after Hendricks had served his sentence, Langenhoven had seen him in Cape Town.

“She was shaken.”

Langenhoven had later tried to get hold of Hendricks as she wanted to beg him for more information about Florencia. But she did not see him again. - Cape Times

caryn.dolley@inl.co.za