Search for six-year-old Cozette Scheepers called off

The search for a six-year-old girl, suspected to have drowned near Herolds Bay on the Garden Route, has been called off, police said on Tuesday.

Capt Malcolm Pojie said Cozette Scheepers was still missing.

Her mother, Heidi, 35, and brother, Hugo, 2, drowned after their vehicle went over a cliff in the Voëlklip area on October 22.

Scheepers and the children failed to return home after a visit to the beach. Her husband, Etienne, reported them missing, setting in motion a widespread search along the coast.

Parts of the family’s VW Caravelle were found near Voëlklip two days later.

Hugo's body was recovered floating in the water close to the wreckage, while his mother’s body was found just off the Herolds Bay beach.

Police said though the search had been called off, there would be sporadic vehicle patrols in the area.