Who is The Missing Boy from The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency and what is their importance?

The disappearance of this never-named boy, described in narration as being eleven years old and mentally somewhat under-developed, is the central event in the narrative's main mystery. Mma Ramotswe's investigation of the disappearance, her tracing of the boy's whereabouts, and her actions in reuniting the boy with his distraught father are effectively shaped in terms of both plotting (i.e. in shaping events of a narrative to create suspense and momentum) and character. Specifically, developments in both the investigation and the resolution of the boy's plotline are tied to aspects of Mma Ramotswe's identity and motivations).