THREE months after his 13-year-old son was found dead with his throat slit next to the body of his grandmother, in the bedroom floor of their Effingham home, a Phoenix father is calling for justice.
Shardin Lance Chetty, 37, said seeing his son Mikai Joshua Chetty lying lifeless was a sight that would haunt him forever.
Mikai and his grandmother Nadhira Essack, aka Vanmala Chetty, 74, were killed in the attack. His mother was the only survivor.
Chetty said when he got to his ex-partner’s home on October 2, 2024, police had told him that the two had been found dead in the bedroom with the door locked.
“I was told that my ex-partner, who was found in the house after police broke down the door, was being treated in an ambulance for lacerations to her wrists, neck and inner thighs. The details as to what transpired was sketchy. Being a former police officer, I decided to thoroughly check out the house for clues as to what could have happened to my baby boy.
“I noticed that his grandmother’s body was already in a state of decomposition. She was lying on her bed. Mikai was lying on the floor next to her bed. He had a deep laceration to his neck but there was no blood spatter or pool of blood near him. There was a pool of blood, which was already dried, on his bed. This indicated to me that he had been lying on his bed when he was attacked. I believe that he crawled onto the floor and died there. His wound had dried out, which indicated that he had been more than 24 hours earlier. There was no sign of a break-in and nothing was taken from the home,” he recalled.
Chetty said he believed that Mikai and his grandmother were killed on September 29, two days before their bodies were found.
“Their domestic worker had received a message on the afternoon of September 29, telling her not to come to work the next day. When the person who transported Mikai to school arrived on Monday morning to fetch him, he did not get a response. He returned after school to find out if Mikai was ill, but still got no response when he hooted outside.
“On Tuesday morning, he went again to fetch Mikai from school. He said the boy never missed school and he became concerned, so he contacted Mikai’s relatives. Police and security officers went to the home. They broke down the door and found Mikai’s mum with lacerations on her neck, wrists and thighs. They then found the two bodies. Mikai’s mum said that she did not remember anything. She was treated in the ambulance before being taken to hospital. She was admitted for a month in a psychiatric ward and released from hospital in November,” Chetty added.
He said three months later, and after many sessions with a psychologist due to him suffering from depression and anxiety, he was unable to come to terms with his son’s death and demanded police action.
“It has been months and nobody has been held accountable for these gruesome deaths. I cannot allow his death to go in vain. If someone gained access to them and killed them, we need to know. That means there is a serial killer on the loose – one who killed an innocent little boy and an elderly woman,” said Chetty.
“Someone needs to be held accountable for the lives lost. My son is dead. I cannot bring him back. But I also cannot rest knowing that his killer/s are walking free.
“It is not up to me to do investigations. The police have been accommodating me with meetings and regular updates only to tell me that the investigating officer is on leave and that the docket had not been touched in months. This is disappointing. The Police need to do a thorough investigation. Some investigations were done but no one was arrested, despite strong evidence. The domestic worker and the neighbours were also not properly interviewed by police.
“I plead with the heads of SAPS to give the docket to someone who will give it the attention it deserves. A 13 year olds life is lost and nobody is accountable. Mikai was a straight A pupil and he aspired to pursue a career in aviation. He was enrolled to start high school at Northwood Secondary School and his fees were already paid. I took care of him and he was my only child,” he added.
He said the emotional and psychological trauma haunted him daily.
“Having to deal with lack of investigations adds to the anxiety. Mikai would have turned 14 on December 19. Every birthday was a big celebration and I really cherish the memories we have made over the years. The fact that he could not celebrate his birthday while his killer/s walk free torments me. I appeal to anyone with information which could lead to an arrest, to give information to the police,” Chetty added.