分类： society

A 52-year-old Unemployment Relief Programme worker from Tobago has died after collapsing outside his Pleasant Prospect home, with his grieving widow claiming the tragedy could have been avoided if emergency medical services had provided an ambulance when she first called for help.

Patsy King-Roach, the man’s wife, spoke exclusively to the Express on Wednesday, sharing the harrowing details of the incident that unfolded on Tuesday shortly before 7 p.m. According to King-Roach, her husband Densil had just finished helping deliver a water shipment to their property when he suddenly fell to the ground near their water storage tank. When she reached him after rushing down her home’s steps, he had already stopped responding to her calls and questions.

Trapped with an unresponsive husband, King-Roach cried out for assistance from nearby family members. Her uncle and two other relatives quickly arrived on scene to help, but none of the small group were able to lift Densil or revive him. The family immediately began placing urgent calls for an ambulance, only to receive the devastating news that no emergency vehicle was available to dispatch to their location. Their next call to the local Fire Service yielded the same result: no ambulance was on standby to respond. Desperate, the family contacted police, who agreed to coordinate with the island’s Emergency Health Services (EHS) to secure transport.

By the time an ambulance finally arrived at the King-Roach home, more than 30 minutes had passed. When medics arrived, they confirmed Densil had already passed away. A local district medical officer has since listed his cause of death as a suspected heart attack. King-Roach remains convinced that even a small reduction in response time could have saved her husband’s life. “If they had come there on time, the time when we call even self if they had come ten minutes, five minutes, he would have been alive…even though he was not talking he would have been stable, he would have been alive,” she said.

The loss has left the family shattered: the couple’s seven-year-old son continues to repeatedly ask for his father, and King-Roach says the traumatic circumstances of her husband’s death will stay with her forever. In response to the public allegations, the Emergency Health Services has launched a formal internal investigation to determine why no ambulance was available to respond to the family’s urgent request on Tuesday evening.

A fatal traffic collision in central Trinidad has claimed the life of a 35-year-old Venezuelan migrant, reigniting longstanding debates over road safety regulations for migrant communities and barriers to legal driving privileges in Trinidad and Tobago.

Rusimine Riaz, a resident of Cunupia’s Mon Plaisir Road, was struck by a passenger vehicle while traveling home on an unregistered electric scooter in the early hours of Monday. The incident unfolded just after 2 a.m. near the Jerningham Road junction, as Riaz made her way back to her apartment following a completed overnight shift at a food cart located on Rodney Road in Endeavour.

Riaz sustained catastrophic injuries to her head and spinal column in the crash, and was rushed to the Eric Williams Medical Sciences Complex in Mt Hope for emergency care. Despite medical intervention, she succumbed to her injuries on Tuesday night.

Law enforcement officials confirmed that the driver of the white Nissan Wingroad that hit Riaz remained at the crash site rather than fleeing. When responding officers asked if he had been drinking alcohol prior to driving, the driver openly admitted to having consumed alcohol. A subsequent breathalyser test confirmed his blood alcohol content exceeded the country’s legal limit, and he was taken into custody at the scene immediately.

Police also highlighted a key detail of the incident: Riaz was operating an unlicensed electric scooter, a violation of local road traffic regulations. In the wake of the crash, officials reminded all road users of the requirement to comply with existing motor vehicle laws to avoid similar tragedies.

The tragedy has prompted a leading migrant advocacy organization to reissue a years-long call for policy change, while also urging migrant communities to prioritize legal compliance. Angie Ramnarine, head of the La Romaine Migrant Support (LARMS) — an organization that has supported Trinidad and Tobago’s migrant population since 2018 through migrant children education programming and employment support — spoke out about the crash Tuesday.

Ramnarine extended her deepest condolences to Riaz and her grieving family, noting that the tragedy was a preventable outcome that grew out of overlapping regulatory barriers and unmet need for accessible transportation. She explained that when the ban on unregistered scooter use was first announced, many migrants had already purchased the affordable vehicles, leaving them with few options other than to continue using them illegally or abandon the scooters entirely.

“I think when it was announced that they could not ride these electric scooters, a lot of people had bought and then had to either sell them over or chuck them in. So, just like so many of them drive without licences, I knew the same thing was going to happen with the scooters,” Ramnarine said in a telephone interview.

Ramnarine stressed that regardless of systemic barriers, all people using the country’s roads are required to adhere to local laws. “People have to obey the law as well. As they say, ignorance of the law is no excuse,” she added.

She acknowledged that for many low-income migrants, electric scooters fill a critical gap as the most affordable form of personal transportation, but emphasized that safety and legal compliance must remain top priorities. “It is an unfortunate situation where a migrant was negatively impacted, even as she was illegally using a scooter,” Ramnarine said.

Trinidad and Tobago’s Ministry of Transport and Civil Aviation already laid out the legal framework for electric scooter use in a March 17 public notice. The ministry confirmed that operating unregistered two-wheeled vehicles including electric scooters on public roads without a valid driver’s permit is a criminal offense under the country’s Motor Vehicles and Road Traffic Act. “Persons found in contravention of the relevant provisions of the Motor Vehicles and Road Traffic Act will be subject to enforcement action in accordance with the law,” the release stated.

Against this regulatory backdrop, Ramnarine renewed her organization’s appeal for the Trinidad and Tobago government to revise existing laws that bar most migrants from obtaining official driver’s licenses. LARMS has pushed for this policy change for years, she noted, arguing that expanding access to legal licensing would improve road safety for all users by bringing more migrant road users into compliance with the law.

“We have been advocating for that for some time now. We have made several calls for the Government to soften the laws for migrants to acquire a Trinidad and Tobago driver’s licence,” Ramnarine said.

The small, tight-knit communities of southern Trinidad and Tobago are grappling with unspeakable grief and shock after the body of 12-year-old Mercedez Layne, who had been reported missing just hours earlier, was recovered early yesterday morning. The discovery was made around 7:30 a.m. alongside an oil pipeline located on Carapal Road in Erin, marking a tragic end to a frantic search that had mobilized local authorities and volunteer groups across the region.

La Brea Member of Parliament Clyde Elder, a native of Carapal Road, was on site when the child’s remains were found. Accompanied by Arlene Ramdeo, the local government councillor for Erin, Elder later traveled to the Layne family’s home on Los Iros Beach Road to offer formal condolences to Mercedez’s mother, Annarese Layne, who is now facing the unthinkable loss of a child who had barely begun her life.

In comments to reporters, Elder described the killing as a shocking, heart-wrenching and gruesome act that has left the entire interconnected community of Los Iros, Carapal and Erin reeling. “This has left us all in a state of disbelief,” Elder said. “Right now, everyone in the area is holding out hope that justice will be served for Mercedez.”

Elder praised the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service (TTPS) for their rapid response to the missing person report, noting that investigators have already taken a 24-year-old suspect from Palo Seco into custody in connection with the murder. He expressed confidence that law enforcement would move quickly to wrap up the investigation and hold the perpetrator accountable.

Elder added that the entire national government stands ready to support the grieving family, saying: “This is something that will rock our Prime Minister to her core, as she has always been a staunch advocate for children’s safety and well-being. As the local MP, I am committed to providing every possible resource and support to the Layne family right now, and the government will stand with them through this process.”

Opposition Leader Pennelope Beckles also released a public statement yesterday, extending her deepest condolences to the Layne family and calling for urgent systemic action to prevent similar tragedies in the future. Beckles emphasized that the brutal, tragic cutting short of Mercedez’s young life has left the entire nation in mourning.

“It is with profound sorrow and a deeply heavy heart that I offer my sincerest condolences to the family of 12-year-old Mercedez Layne, whose life was so brutally and tragically taken. This devastating news of her death has shocked and saddened the entire country,” Beckles said in her social media statement.

She also extended public recognition to the teams that participated in the search for Mercedez, commending the TTPS, the Hunters Search and Rescue Team, civilian volunteers and concerned local residents for their tireless work in the hours after the girl was reported missing. “Their commitment and dedication during a time of great uncertainty deserve our highest commendation,” she added.

Beckles argued that the tragedy demands urgent national reflection and action, noting an apparent uptick in missing and abducted child cases across the country in recent months. “No parent, grandparent or family should ever have to endure the pain of losing a child in such tragic circumstances. The loss of a young life touches the conscience of the entire nation and reminds us of our collective responsibility to protect our children,” she said.

While Beckles affirmed that the public must allow police to conduct a full, unimpeded investigation to ensure justice is delivered through due process, she said the case makes clear that the State must move quickly to strengthen the nation’s child protection framework, upgrade public safety infrastructure, and increase public awareness around child safety. She also urged all families across the country to remain vigilant, maintain close awareness of their children’s activities and whereabouts, and prioritize proactive safety measures.

“As a nation, we mourn with Mercedez’s family. Let us stand together in support of them, assist law enforcement in any way possible, and remain united in our determination to ensure that those responsible are brought to justice,” Beckles concluded.

Nearly seven months after two-year-old Angelo Tobias-Plaza disappeared from his Goodwood, Tobago home, law enforcement officials have moved to correct public misinformation about the status of efforts to recover the toddler’s remains. Acting Commissioner of Police Rishi Singh emphasized that while the initial large-scale multi-agency search operation has concluded, targeted searches will be launched immediately any time new credible information about the child’s body comes into the force. “Claims that the search has been permanently called off are simply not factual,” Singh confirmed in an official statement.

The toddler was first reported missing from his Cambridge Trace residence on the night of May 11 this year, sparking one of the largest search operations in recent Tobago history. Law enforcement, emergency response agencies, and volunteer rescue groups mobilized resources across land, sea, and air to locate the child, with participation from the Tobago Police Division, the Trinidad and Tobago Fire Service, the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Management, the Coast Guard, the Child Protection Unit, the Homicide Bureau, the Tobago Emergency Management Agency, and both regional Hunters Search and Rescue Team branches. On May 25, Angelo’s 24-year-old stepfather, Shannon Miller, was taken into custody and arraigned at a Scarborough court on a charge of murder. He is next scheduled to appear for a court hearing on November 30.

In the wake of Miller’s arrest and the pause in large-scale search efforts, Angelo’s grieving family has begun making arrangements for a memorial service, held to honor the toddler’s memory with his body still unrecovered. Kalifah Tobias, cousin of Angelo’s mother, confirmed that event planning is well underway, though organizers have not yet locked in a final date for the service. Tobias himself was detained by investigators in the early stages of the probe, but he was ultimately released following guidance from the Director of Public Prosecutions.

Speaking on behalf of the entire family, Tobias shared that Angelo’s young mother has struggled immensely to cope with the loss and uncertainty of the situation. Closely supported by extended family members who have rallied around her to provide emotional and practical assistance through this devastating ordeal, she has stepped back from public life: she deactivated her Facebook account not long after the case began, and has not returned to her Cambridge Trace home since Tobias was released from police custody.

The investigation’s progress and handling have already drawn public criticism from top regional leaders. Two weeks ago, Chief Secretary of the Tobago House of Assembly (THA) Farley Augustine told reporters he was deeply dissatisfied with the police investigation into Angelo’s disappearance and murder, stating that the service needed to lift its performance in high-profile missing person and homicide cases. During a plenary sitting of the THA, Augustine added that the regional assembly is prepared to offer specialized training to Tobago-based police officers to improve response outcomes for similar cases in the future.

A brazen early-morning break-in at a Roman Catholic church in Trinidad and Tobago has sparked widespread condemnation from both interfaith leaders and opposition political figures, who are calling out the act as a desecration of sacred space and a violation of the nation’s core shared values.

The incident unfolded on a Tuesday last week at St Mary’s RC Church in St James. When parish priest Fr Emmanuel Pierre arrived at the property at approximately 5:15 a.m. to prepare for the 6:15 a.m. mass, he encountered an unknown intruder inside the building. After the intruder left, a thorough check revealed that the sacristy had been completely ransacked, and two gold-plated monstrances were missing. These sacred vessels, valued at an estimated $15,000, are specifically used to display the consecrated Eucharistic host during public adoration and veneration, making their theft especially distressing for the local faith community.

In a telephone interview conducted from his Scarborough, Tobago residence, Dr. Ellis Burris, president of the Inter-Religious Organisation (IRO), issued a firm rejection of the criminal act. “I don’t condone it. We (IRO) would not support the disruption and desecration of sacred places of worship. People should not be tampering with the sacred vessels used in worship. We want to dissuade people from engaging in these nefarious acts,” Burris stated. He emphasized that communities across all faith traditions hold religious artefacts in deep reverence, adding, “Don’t interfere with peoples’ religious artefacts. Don’t tamper with the artefacts that they hold sacred. The items which they cherish.”

Beyond condemning the theft, Burris issued a public call to all citizens of Trinidad and Tobago to turn to prayer for the nation and its governing leadership. “Let us pray and ask Almighty God to bless each other and our country. Pray for our leaders and elders. Continue to worship God in spirit and in truth. The Holy Bible says, ‘The prayer of a righteous man availeth much,’” he said, urging collective spiritual reflection amid rising concerns about criminal activity targeting religious sites.

Opposition Leader Penelope Beckles joined Burris in condemning the break-in, addressing the incident during her official Corpus Christi message. “I must address the recent desecration and theft at St Mary’s RC Church. The breaking into a house of worship and the theft of sacred vessels, including the monstrances used in the Holy Eucharist, is deeply painful and unacceptable,” Beckles said. She framed the offense as far more than a simple property crime, noting, “It is not only a crime against property, but also an assault on the spiritual dignity of a community and the conscience of the nation. Any violation of a house of worship strikes at the heart of our shared values and must be condemned in the strongest possible terms.”

Beckles also highlighted a message of hope from the parish priest who encountered the intruder, praising Fr Pierre’s calm, principled response to the traumatic incident. “Despite the present-day realities, I am inspired by the words of courageous Fr Emmanuel Pierre, ‘There’s a better way to live.’ That message must reach beyond the church and into every community affected by crime, violence, and despair. We must ensure our young people see a path that is not defined by destruction, but by dignity and hope,” she added.