Nearly two months after two-year-old Angelo Tobias Plaza was first reported missing in Tobago, senior Trinidad and Tobago government official has cast doubt on the likelihood of recovering the toddler alive, calling any successful retrieval little short of a miracle.
Homeland Security Minister Roger Alexander shared the grim assessment in comments to local outlet Express on Thursday, explaining that a critical missed opportunity last week has severely complicated search efforts. Last Tuesday, first responders from the local Fire Service spotted an object matching the description of a small body in the heavily seaweed-choked waters of Goodwood Bay, the area where Angelo was last seen. By the time retrieval teams could navigate the dense vegetation to reach the location, the object had vanished, swept away by coastal currents.
“That’s why at this point, finding the child is effectively impossible. If we do recover him, it will have to be considered nothing less than a miracle,” Alexander stated.
Despite the low odds of a successful recovery, Alexander indicated that the investigation into the toddler’s disappearance is approaching a key milestone that will bring long-awaited closure to the community and Angelo’s family. “Law enforcement has already made enormous, valuable progress on this case. Everyone affected has been desperate for answers, and we have now reached a stage where closure is coming into view,” he said.
Calling the case devastating for the entire island, Alexander extended official condolences to Angelo’s family and the wider Tobago community. He also offered high praise for the multi-agency response that has been mounted over the 10 weeks since the toddler went missing on May 11.
“I cannot speak highly enough of the work done by Assistant Commissioner of Police Rishi Singh, his team of Tobago-based investigators, and every agency that has lent support. This has been a fully coordinated collaborative effort between the police service, Fire Service, Defence Force, Coast Guard, the Tobago Emergency Management Agency (TEMA), and the volunteer Hunters Search and Rescue Team. Their tireless work has gotten us to this point, and it has been excellent work across the board,” Alexander noted.
The minister stressed that the tragic case has exposed critical gaps that must be addressed to prevent similar incidents involving young children from ever occurring in the nation again.
As the investigation continues, search teams returned to Goodwood Bay on Thursday, with TEMA deploying unmanned drone aircraft to scan the bay’s coastline for any signs of the toddler. To date, investigators have taken seven people into custody for questioning in connection with Angelo’s disappearance: three women and four men.
The update comes just days after PNM Tobago Council Political Leader Shamfa Cudjoe-Lewis joined community members for a candlelight vigil held at Goodwood Bay Tuesday to honor the missing toddler.