Jayden-Lee Meek's tragic death: Arrest of family member sparks outrage

A 31-year-old woman, described by police as a close relative of 11-year-old Jayden-Lee Meek, has been arrested in connection with the boy’s murder.

She is expected to make her first court appearance at the Roodepoort Magistrate’s Court on Monday, July 14, 2025.

Jayden-Lee's death in May sent shockwaves through the Fleurhof community, located in Roodepoort, west of Johannesburg.

The boy was reported missing by his mother on Tuesday, May 12, and was found the next morning lying half-naked and unconscious on the staircase of their apartment complex.

He was declared dead shortly after arriving at Discovery Hospital.

Police spokesperson Colonel Dimakatso Nevhuhulwi confirmed the arrest on Friday.

“A 31-year-old close family member of Jayden-Lee Meek was arrested this morning, 11 July 2025, following extensive investigations by Florida detectives with the assistance of the Provincial Investigative Unit and Tracking Team,” she said.

“A case of murder was opened, and police conducted investigations which led to the arrest of the woman. She is expected to appear before the Roodepoort Magistrate’s Court on 14 July 2025 on a charge of murder.”

Nevhuhulwi added that the investigation was ongoing.

The arrest follows months of anguish for Jayden-Lee’s family and the wider Fleurhof community, who criticised the initial police response and accused authorities of negligence.

Jayden-Lee was last seen around 3.30pm on May 12 when he was dropped off by school transport at the Swazi Court complex where he lived.

According to his mother, who works from home, he never made it into their flat.

His body was found the next morning, just two metres from their front door. Witnesses reported that his body was still warm, indicating he may have died shortly before being discovered.

What happened next has drawn sharp criticism from community members.

Residents claim that it was they, not the police, who first initiated the search for Jayden's belongings, including his school bag and clothes.

Forensic teams allegedly only arrived hours later, and the crime scene was reportedly not secured or cordoned off. Weeks passed without any arrests, leaving the community outraged.

Community activist Althea Cluff, one of the first to raise the alarm in May, said the arrest brought a mixture of relief and renewed grief.

“This is a bittersweet moment. It is painful because all I’m thinking is, if it is a close relative who killed Jayden, how long was the abuse? Was this the first or last attempt? Was this a case of we went too far and killed him? I need to go to court on Monday, and then I can give a statement. I am broken to the core. How can someone close to him do this? We live in a sick society,” Cluff said.

Together with fellow activist Natalie Solomons, Cluff travelled to Cape Town last month to demand answers from the national government.

The pair petitioned Parliament to intervene and called for police officials to appear before the Portfolio Committee on Police.

Jayden-Lee’s murder sparked a community-wide mobilisation.

Candlelight vigils, door-to-door searches, and petitions for justice were held in Fleurhof and neighbouring suburbs.

But faith in the justice system had begun to wane, until Friday’s breakthrough.

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