"God knows, having a missing child is worse than having a dead child."
It was 23 years ago that Michelle Ohlsson was last able to tuck her son into bed, kiss him goodnight, read him a bedtime story or say goodbye to him at his school gate. It's been 23 years of not knowing - not knowing if her son is dead or alive and not knowing what happened on the day he disappeared.
In this podcast series, we delve into the disappearance of nine-year-old Matthew Ohlsson, who vanished outside his Mitchells Plain home on 24 March 1997.
His parents have not stopped searching for him and claim police have not done enough to help them find out what happened to him. This cold case has baffled police officers and private investigators.
If Matthew was alive, he would be 32 years old.
Michelle and Michael Ohlsson with their toddlers Melanie and Matthew.
The Ohlsson siblings celebrating a birthday.
Siblings Matthew, Justin and Melanie in happier times.
In the early years, there were initially promising leads that all led to dead ends. But mostly there has just been an ongoing silence.
The events that followed Matthew's disappearance will forever haunt the Ohlsson family – exacerbated by the lack of urgency displayed by police when they first reported his disappearance and the false leads in the years that followed.
We bring you this three-part podcast series in the hope it will trigger a memory, and provide a clue to this mystery that has tormented his family for over two decades.
In the second episode of Missing Matthew, we delve into the twists and turns of the investigation into the nine-year-old boy's disappearance 23 years ago. Despite the many false hopes and dead ends, Michelle Ohlsson's search continues.
A Cape Town family remains hopeful that their son, who disappeared 23 years ago, at the age of nine, will one day be found. In the years that have passed since Matthew Ohlsson disappeared, they have helped countless other families like themselves. This is the third and final episode of the three-part series.
Michelle and Michael Ohlsson with a photo of their son, Matthew, who disappeared aged nine.
The family says they need closure after 23 years of not knowing what happened to Matthew.
Matthew's siblings, Jason, Melanie and Justin.
Anyone who has information about the disappearance of Matthew Ohlsson can contact the investigating officer, Lieutenant Colonel Daliwonga Saki 082 559 4631.
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