More than a month after the untimely death of popular TikTok personality and hip-hop artist Dugulth Ferreira, aka Junior King, his family is calling for answers.
King died in a head-on collision on the N1 near Verkeerdevlei in the Free State on 11 December.
At the time, a case of culpable homicide was opened.
The accident left King’s young daughter with severe injuries. Aquilla Frost, the mother of two of King’s children, has expressed deep frustration and heartbreak over what she says has been an absence of feedback from authorities.
“It has been a little over a month since the accident that resulted in the death of my children’s father and caused severe injuries to my daughter,” Frost said.
According to Frost, her young daughter sustained bilateral femur fractures and required surgery on both legs. The child also suffered broken ribs, which are currently healing without surgical intervention.
Frost shared that the severity of her daughter’s injuries requires round-the-clock care, forcing her to decline work opportunities in order to care for both her injured daughter and her son, who she said is traumatised by the accident and the loss of his father. She also claimed a lack of communication from the investigating officers.
“Multiple attempts to obtain updates from SAPS have yielded no results, leaving us without clarity on the status of the investigation,” Frost said.
Frost said she was not seeking special treatment, but accountability and transparency.
“I am asking for answers. I am asking for accountability. I am asking for justice — for my children and for their father,” she said.
Meanwhile, King’s mother, Marian Ferreira, issued a statement on social media urging the public to show empathy amid widespread speculation surrounding the accident.
“There have been many assumptions made about the accident in which my son lost his life, and his children were injured,” Ferreira said.
She explained that Frost’s public response stemmed from grief and emotional pain.
“As a mother, she has to look at her children every day, not only dealing with their physical injuries but also the emotional trauma they carry. That kind of pain does not simply go away,” Ferreira said.
She added that the family believes certain factors leading to the accident could have been avoided and that unanswered questions remain.
“We know exactly what happened and what should not have happened. We know exactly what was said that could have avoided this accident. The family, therefore, has questions that need answers,” she said.
Commenting on the progress in the case, Free State police spokesperson, Lieutenant Colonel Thabo Covane, said that the investigation was ongoing.
“When I spoke to the station commander, he indicated that the photo album of the accident scene and the post-mortem report are still outstanding.”
Covane added that the driver of the vehicle in which Junior King died did not have a licence.
“I can confirm that there is a charge (against the driver) for driving without a valid driver’s licence.”
Responding to claims that the family did not receive feedback about the case, Covane said: “We do understand their frustration,” he shared. “The family cannot claim that they don’t receive feedback. They met me. If they are not satisfied, they can call me.”
