Dolphin tattoo helped identify baby Cameron Moodley after 2001 kidnapping and murder - IOL

Five-month-old Cameron Moodley was kidnapped from her Phoenix home in 2001.

A temporary dolphin tattoo on five-month-old Cameron Moodley helped identify her after she was kidnapped and killed in Phoenix in 2001.

Her mother, Venessa Chetty, reflects on the loss and the years of grief that followed.

In a crime that shocked South Africa at the time, Cameron had been strangled with the vest she was wearing and her body was abandoned in a bush near her home.

Her family spent almost a week searching for her, unaware that she had been killed 30 minutes after she was taken or that the perpetrator was someone they trusted.

Kandasamy Kevin Naidoo, the 32-year-old man who had been married to Cameron's paternal grandmother at the time, was arrested for her kidnapping and murder. 

A confirmed schizophrenic, Naidoo was admitted to Fort Napier Hospital following his court appearances.

Cameron would have turned 26 on Friday (November 6).

"Every birthday and even days in-between, I try to picture what she would have looked like, what she would have done with her life and what impact she would have made in the world," her mother Venessa Chetty told the POST.

Venessa Chetty remembers every detail of the day her baby was murdered in April 2001.

A quarter of a decade later, Chetty still remembers every detail of the last moment she saw her baby alive.

"My then mother-in-law's second husband had asked to take Cameron for a walk to his brother's house two roads away. He had done so many times and we trusted him.

"It was a hot April day, so Cameron had on a blue vest, her nappy and her bib. I was about to take a bath. Kevin was holding her upright in his arms, and she was smiling at me. I was making baby talk and laughing with her. I told him not to take too long and bring her back early. He said okay and I went into the bathroom."

Cameron's father had phoned to inform Chetty that he would be home early from work.

"I asked my sister-in-law to go to Kevin's brother's house to bring the baby home. When she got to the house, they told her that Kevin had left with the baby more than 15 minutes earlier. She ran back to us and that's when the search started."

The missing alert was on various radio and TV stations and in every newspaper.

"We couldn't find them anywhere. People called us at midnight saying they saw baby and Kevin and we would drive to the spot immediately. I couldn't sleep. I was terrified and heartbroken. I still had hope that we would find her alive and safe. In all that time, her body was lying in the rain and cold just a few meters from our home," an emotional Chetty said.

Five days later, after police arrested Naidoo in Bloemfontein, he led them to the baby's body.

"I regret never being able to see her one last time, to kiss her, tell her I love her and say goodbye. There was no justice for my broken heart then. The coroner couldn't tell us whether she died instantly, or was still alive and dying when he threw her body away and ran off. I always questioned if she had still been alive and struggling alone in that bush before she passed away. That question will always haunt and hurt me. 

Chetty questioned her faith back then.

“I was heartbroken with God and at 24 years old, I couldn't understand or have the capacity to understand why God had taken my child away. I was a Christian, fully involved in my church, youth group, and as a Sunday school teacher and here my God had taken my innocent child. It took me a while to stop questioning and to fully trust in Him again.

“It took me years to heal. It wasn't easy and I went through a time of depression, self-harm and stages where I didn't want to live anymore. God carried me and I truly believe that grief has no expiry date. Even today, I still grieve for her on special days, when I hear a song that reminds me of her, or a memory." 

Chetty’s marriage eventually ended and she started life as a single mother to her eldest child, who was two at the time of Cameron’s death.

“Today, I am the co-owner of Book Bank South Africa, a mother of three daughters and grandmother to a three-year-old. I am engaged and live in Durban.”

Chetty’s book, Remembering Cameron, is scheduled for release in April 2027.

She added that before her former mother-in-law passed away, they had made “peace”. 

“She was also affected because not only did she lose her grandchild but her husband as well when he was arrested.”