Tiffany Meek pleaded not guilty to the murder of her son.
Image: Timothy Bernard / IOL Graphics
Tiffany Meek has formally pleaded not guilty to the murder of her 11-year-old son, Jayden-Lee Meek.
The 32-year-old appeared in the Johannesburg High Court sitting in Palm Ridge this week.
She also pleaded not guilty to charges of murder, defeating the ends of justice, and crimen injuria.
Meek is accused of killing her son, whose body was discovered near their Fleurhof home in May 2025.
Meek, who has been in custody since July 2025, chose to remain silent as her legal representative entered her plea.
In a written explanation read to the court, Meek stated: “I deny all the charges against me. The State has no direct evidence implicating me in the commission of offences in which I am charged.”
Jayden-Lee Meek, 11, was returning home from school when he disappeared from inside his apartment complex.
Image: Supplied
Jayden-Lee was reported missing on May 13, 2025. His body was found the following day just metres from his front door.
Meek argued that the State relies solely on circumstantial evidence and vowed to take the stand to “vindicate” herself.
“I deny having any knowledge about how my child was brought into this tragic death,” she said, adding that she still lacks clarity on his exact cause of death.
A central point of contention in the trial is Jayden-Lee’s school bag, which the State alleges was found inside Meek’s apartment on May 16, 2025. Prosecutors argue this proves the boy returned home, contradicting Meek’s version of events.
However, Meek disputed the discovery: “I do not recall observing any such bag within the premises at any time on 13 or 14 May, 2025.” She suggested the bag may have been moved or planted, noting that multiple police units and relatives in the apartment previously failed to see it.
Evidence already before the court revealed that the school bag was seized on May 16, 2025.
“The more probable inference to be drawn is that the bag was at some stage moved, placed or positioned in the location where it is alleged to have been found, which ultimately and materially calls into question the veracity and reliability of the state’s version,” Meek said.
Meek also challenged the State’s claims regarding blood found in her home.
“The postmortem examination does not on any reasonable interpretation support the conclusion that my minor child bled at all in the circumstances that would give rise to such a scene,” she stated.
While her admissions were read into the record, Meek sat expressionless in the dock.
“I love my minor child, and I have not yet been afforded the space or capacity to properly grieve his passing as I was immediately drawn into these proceedings,” she concluded.
The State has indicated it is ready to call witnesses.
The matter has been postponed until June 11 and 12, and Meek remains in custody.
robin.francke@iol.co.za
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