Authorities in St. Vincent and the Grenadines have formally pressed murder charges against a suspect in the disappearance of Lyda Adams, a 36-year-old pregnant woman from Barrouallie who vanished under suspicious circumstances on November 8. The development indicates investigators believe Adams is deceased despite the absence of recovered remains.
The accused, identified as a Byera resident employed in Bequia, was reportedly engaged in what family members described as a “toxic relationship” with the missing woman. Adams was six months pregnant and mother to a 9-year-old son at the time of her disappearance.
According to familial accounts, Adams departed her home before 7 a.m. on November 8, allegedly stating she was visiting a doctor while wearing brown and deep green attire. Contrary to this explanation, surveillance footage confirmed her disembarkation from a ferry in Bequia at approximately 8:56 a.m. that same day.
The case escalated from a missing person investigation to a homicide probe under the purview of the Major Crime Unit after several troubling indicators emerged. Adams’ complete cessation of social media activity—uncharacteristic for her—coupled with undelivered WhatsApp messages and her conspicuous absence from both a family funeral on November 23 and the general election on November 27 heightened concerns.
This case unfolds against a distressing backdrop of violence against women in SVG, where two additional femicides have occurred since November. The national homicide tally has now reached 39 for the year, amplifying calls for enhanced protective measures and more effective interventions in domestic violence cases.
The accused is scheduled for arraignment before a Kingstown magistrate on Thursday, marking a significant development in a case that has drawn attention to issues of intimate partner violence and investigative procedures in the Caribbean nation.