Family clings to hope as body found in search for missing Paarl teen

“I’m not giving up. Until I see proof, my daughter is still alive in my heart.”

These were the words of Hester Plaatjies, the mother of 16-year-old Chanelle Plaatjies from Greenhill, Paarl, who went missing last month.

She was speaking after the discovery of a decomposing body buried in a shallow grave near their home, just metres from where her shoe was found.

Chanelle was last seen on May 14 but was only reported missing on May 28.

The delay in reporting, the family says, was due to the hope that she would return home, as she usually did when she went out with friends.

The breakthrough in the search came on Monday, when her sisters stumbled upon one of her shoes in a wooded area about a kilometre from their house.

It was this discovery that led to the unearthing of a body believed to be that of a young woman.

Speaking to the media outside the family home, Chanelle’s father, Samuel Jacobs, described the moment they discovered the shoe.

“My daughters first spotted the shoe and they positively identified it as Chanelle’s,” an emotional Jacobs said.

“They noticed there was something strange about the ground under it. At first, I stopped them from touching it, but when I saw the shoe, something told me my daughter was there.”

Driven by instinct and fear, Jacobs began digging.

“I took a spade and dug until there was a smell of a decomposed body in the air. But before I could see anything, the police arrived and took over. As I was digging, I hoped with all my heart that it wasn’t her. I believe she is alive,” he said.

Plaatjies echoed the same sentiment.

“I have a feeling that the body found there is not my daughter’s. My motherly instinct is telling me that my child is still out there and alive. That may have been her shoe, but my heart says she’s still with us,” she said.

DNA testing is now under way to determine whether the body found is indeed Chanelle’s.

Chanelle’s brother, Kyle Plaatjies, said the family had not immediately suspected something was wrong because of her social lifestyle.

“She’s young and has many friends. We had no way of contacting her to check where she was. She never stays away too long; if she left, she’d return the next morning.”

Her sister, Melleney Hugo, confirmed that the shoe found belonged to Chanelle. 

“My mom bought her those shoes, and she wore them to court one day. But we want to see the body first so we can be sure.”

Members in the community believe that Chanelle may have been killed by a boyfriend recently released from prison.

Jacobs said the family had never seen or met this alleged boyfriend.

“The community is angry because Chanelle was so young and had a bright future. Smarty Town used to be safe, and now you can’t even send a child to the shop without fear.”

Police spokesperson Colonel Novela Potelwa confirmed that Paarl East police have been investigating the case since a missing person report was filed on May 28.

“According to the mother, she last saw Chanelle on May 14, 2025. Information was followed up, and a shoe was found near an open hole in the woods. The body of a female was discovered buried in the same area on Monday evening. DNA testing is under way to determine whether it is that of the missing teenager.”

Cape Times