A homicide investigation is underway in central Trinidad after hikers stumbled across a partially decomposed body matching the description of a 37-year-old man who vanished from his home more than a week ago. Authorities confirmed the grim discovery was made shortly before 11:30 a.m. Wednesday in a remote ravine accessible only by an unmaintained gravel path off Caparo Valley Brasso Road in Longdenville.
Local law enforcement sources say the initial report of the body came from a Longdenville resident who was checking property lines at the back of his private garden off Palmiste Gravel Road when he made the unsettling find. The man immediately contacted the Longdenville Police Post to alert officers of what he had discovered.
Two uniformed officers, Corporal Ramdeen and Constable Lewis, responded to the call within minutes, accompanying the reporting witness deep into the wooded area off the main road. After traveling roughly 1.5 kilometers along the rutted gravel track, the first responders located the body in a steep ravine. The corpse was found lying supine, with its feet bound, clad in a dark jersey and red three-quarter length pants. Forensic investigators also noted a distinct trauma: the victim’s left thumb was missing from the scene.
Following the discovery, cross-checking with missing person reports led investigators to identify the man as Jevon Stewart, a resident of Pecan Crescent in Cashew Gardens, North Chaguanas. Steward had been listed as missing after his mother, Mahalia Stewart, reported him missing to authorities on May 5. Family accounts confirm Mahalia Stewart last saw her son alive at approximately 9 p.m. on May 4, when he was at the family home. When she woke the following morning, he was gone, and repeated attempts to reach him through relatives, friends and coworkers turned up no clues to his whereabouts.
Police have not yet released a formal cause of death, pending the results of an autopsy scheduled for later this week. Investigators are asking any members of the public who have information about Stewart’s disappearance or the circumstances of his death to contact the Longdenville Police Post or the nearest police station to share details anonymously.