Johannesburg - A 6-month-old baby's mutilated body has been found in Diepsloot, The Star reported on Monday.
The baby's mother reported the death to police early on Sunday morning, claiming that her child had been eaten by rats, but when police arrived on the scene the mother had disappeared.
Captain Tsekiso Mofokeng reportedly told the newspaper initially that police were investigating a case of murder.
He later said that a pathologist's observation report indicated that the child was killed by rats.
Local residents, however, reportedly said they believed the killing was a muti murder, as several body parts were missing.
