The mother and uncle of a two-year-old girl appeared in the Wynberg Magistrate's Court on Tuesday in connection with the murder of the toddler.
Gauteng police spokesperson Brigadier Mathapelo Peters told News24 on Wednesday that the toddler's lifeless body had been found on 10 April by staff at a lodge in Midrand, northern Johannesburg, around 23:30.
Peters added that preliminary evidence revealed that the child's killing might have been occult related, hence the escalation of the investigation to the Provincial Investigating Unit for prioritisation, as per the SAPS stance on prioritising the investigation into crimes against women and children.
"A one-year-old child who was also found on the scene on the said evening, and taken to a place of safety, was on Tuesday 13 April 2021 released into the custody of his mother, who at the time of the incident was out of town," Peters said.
The two are expected to make their second court appearance on 20 April.
The arrested uncle is the father of the one-year-old, Peters added.