分类： society

For more than 30 days, the family of a 45-year-old Andros resident who vanished without a trace has held out hope, even as dread has begun to settle over their search. Antonio \”Doe Doe\” Bastian, who was last spotted on July 13 walking along Queen’s Highway between the communities of Love Hill and Fresh Creek, has yet to be found, prompting his loved ones to put forward a $2,000 reward for any tip that leads to his location.

On Friday, hundreds of grieving family members, friends, colleagues and community members gathered to lay Jillian Pinder, a 56-year-old primary school teacher, to rest, celebrating a life defined by devotion to education, deep faith, and radical love for her inner circle — even as unresolved questions about her brutal killing continue to hang over the mourning community.

Pinder’s life was cut short on July 13, more than six weeks after she was attacked by two unidentified assailants on June 4. According to initial reports, the men confronted Pinder at knifepoint, claiming a close associate of hers owed them an unpaid debt before forcing her to an undisclosed location. There, they stabbed her in the throat and left her for dead. In a remarkable display of resilience, Pinder managed to escape and drove her vehicle to a public area, where she collided with another car; the occupants of that vehicle immediately called for emergency help and got her to care.

Pinder was first admitted to a hospital’s intensive care unit, and after an initial recovery that led to her discharge, she was readmitted for ongoing complications before ultimately succumbing to her injuries. To date, no suspects have been arrested or charged in connection with the attack, leaving the Pinder family without the answers they have long begged for.

At Friday’s funeral service, loved ones pushed past the agony of her unresolved death to share warm, vivid memories of the woman they knew and adored. Anna Capron, Pinder’s niece, told the crowd that even in her final days in the hospital, Pinder’s thoughts never strayed from her family. “Towards the end, even while she was in the hospital, she was thinking about family,” Capron shared. “She was so grateful for everyone that showed up for her. She said to me specifically, ‘Tell the family thanks.’” Capron remembered her aunt as a fun-loving, ever-present relative who dedicated herself to building lasting, joyful memories with every generation of the family, adding: “if Auntie Jill never got the chance to tell you herself how grateful she was, know that she was grateful for each and every one of us.”

The family has repeatedly pushed for answers and justice in the months since the attack, with Pinder’s older sister Judith Rahming launching a public appeal last month for any information that could lead to arrests. In a viral Facebook post, Rahming wrote: “Lord, we are asking You for justice. We pray that You would reveal everything hidden in darkness. Give investigators, our family, or someone out there a sign – something that leads to the truth and to the person responsible.”

Charliese Bevans, Pinder’s best friend of nearly 50 years, delivered a tearful tribute to their decades-long bond, recalling silly childhood adventures and quiet moments of support that shaped their friendship. Bevans described Pinder as a fiercely strong, protective, and unshakably loyal person who only let a small handful of people into her inner circle. “I am humbled and I am grateful to have been one of them,” Bevans said, noting that Pinder found more joy in quiet gestures of love and thoughtful, personal gifts than in expensive, flashy possessions.

Beyond her family and friendships, mourners highlighted Pinder’s decades of devotion to her students at TG Glover Primary School, and her active, meaningful role in her local church community. Keisha Taylor, director of the Bahamas Harvest Small Group Sisters, said Pinder grew from a regular group member to a beloved spiritual sister whose gentle presence transformed the community. “She brought something different to our small group,” Taylor said. “She brought quietness, gentleness. She brought a different perspective.” Taylor remembered Pinder as an intentional, empathetic listener who always showed up for the people around her whenever they needed support.

As search operations enter their second week for missing Eleuthera resident Katrina Kelly, her family has issued a urgent public plea demanding an end to the spread of baseless, harmful false rumors circulating across social media platforms, while reaffirming their persistent hope that Kelly will be found alive.

Keith Kelly, the missing woman’s uncle, spoke publicly to dismantle a string of unsubstantiated claims that have gone viral in local communities. Among the most damaging false reports were assertions that Kelly’s bullet-ridden, badly burned body had been recovered, and that her remains had been located at Preachers Cave. Kelly confirmed that law enforcement officials have explicitly refuted all of these claims, telling reporters that lead investigators confirmed no evidence has been found to back up any of the viral rumors.

“When the first rumor broke yesterday, our whole family was gathered at my sister’s home waiting for updates,” Keith Kelly recalled in an interview. “Out of nowhere, someone got a text message claiming they’d found a body shot in the head and burned. It was all a complete lie. Later that same day, another fake story popped up saying she’d been found at Preachers Cave — that was another lie, too.”

The family says the steady stream of misinformation has added unnecessary emotional strain at a time when they are already grappling with fear and uncertainty over Kelly’s disappearance. “If any credible discovery had been made, we would be the first to know — most of our family was on site with search teams yesterday,” Kelly said. “We can’t understand why anyone would choose to spread these cruel lies when we’re just trying to find our loved one. Whoever is behind these rumors needs to stop, immediately.”

Kelly, a 34-year-old assistant manager at the popular Pink Sands Hotel who also runs a local car rental small business, vanished from her Bluff home on the night of last Tuesday. Her 11-year-old daughter, who was with her before she left, has told investigators that Kelly stepped out between 9 p.m. and 10 p.m. to drop off friends and pick up takeout food. The child told police she witnessed three unknown men dressed in dark clothing exit a vehicle, speak with Kelly, and that she left with the group. No contact from Kelly has been reported since that night.

Family members previously told reporters that they did not immediately raise a full alarm, noting that Kelly often steps away from home around the anniversary and birthday of her late brother, Ashantio Clevorn Johnson, a 23-year-old trainee correctional officer who was fatally stabbed at a local restaurant and bar last year. Johnson’s birthday would have fallen on the Wednesday immediately after Kelly’s disappearance. What made family members grow deeply concerned, however, is that Kelly never reached out to confirm her safety — a routine she always follows when she steps away. Alarms were raised after she failed to pick her mother up from the airport following her mother’s return from a trip to the United States, and stopped responding to all text and call attempts.

To incentivize public tips that could help locate Kelly, a combined reward of $52,500 is currently on offer, with $50,000 of that total contributed by the Fox Foundation. Search operations continued on yesterday, focused heavily on the Current Island region, with dive teams scheduled to survey the waters surrounding the search zone for any clues. Loretta Cash-Pierre, Kelly’s cousin, best friend and godsister, said she has turned over all of Kelly’s electronic devices to investigators, as well as information on renters of a white Nissan Cube linked to her car rental business.

Authorities issued an official missing person bulletin for Kelly on Friday, and community members have been sharing missing person appeals across local networks. While relatives have previously acknowledged they fear Kelly may have been the victim of foul play or is being held against her will, they have not given up hope that she will be brought home safely.

“If you’re seeing this, Kat, we’re out here looking for you,” Keith Kelly said. “We want you home, we want to see you alive, we just need to know you’re safe. Her mother is already grieving the loss of my nephew, and this is almost more than she can bear — but even she says ‘I know she’s alive.’”

As search teams continue their work, the family is renewing two requests: anyone with any information that could assist the investigation is urged to contact the Royal Bahamas Police Force immediately, and anyone sharing or considering sharing unconfirmed reports about the case is asked to stop to avoid inflicting further harm on the already strained family.

A growing public safety crisis centered on unregulated stray dogs across the Bahamas has pushed national agricultural officials to roll out an aggressive, multi-pronged intervention in the coming week, targeting everything from dangerous free-roaming packs to illegal unregistered breeding operations. Minister of Agriculture and Marine Resources Jomo Campbell confirmed that authorities have spent weeks coordinating with animal welfare groups, law enforcement, and other key stakeholders to craft a tangible response to what he has labeled a full-blown “plague of stray dogs”, following a string of high-profile, devastating attacks that have left one child severely injured and an elderly man hospitalized.

Campbell noted that cross-stakeholder planning predates the most recent high-profile attack, with the national Animal Control Board holding strategy sessions as recently as this week to finalize the framework of the new initiative. Speaking to reporters, he declined to preview specific policy details ahead of the official unveiling, but promised that the upcoming announcement will deliver far more than rhetoric: next week, the ministry will host press representatives to showcase concrete, actionable steps already underway to address the crisis.

The intervention will not only target loose stray dog populations, Campbell said. It will also crack down on the root causes of the crisis: unregulated backyard breeding, unlicensed pet ownership, and irresponsible pet stewardship that allows dangerous animals to enter public spaces. The minister added that the entire animal control sector is undergoing a comprehensive modernization and overhaul to ensure the new framework can deliver on its promises, emphasizing that the coordinated cross-agency response “actually has teeth”. Going forward, he said, pet owners will face tangible legal accountability for irresponsible handling of animals that contributes to the stray dog public safety threat.

The announcement comes on the heels of two horrific attacks that have drawn national outrage over the lack of consistent animal control regulation across the country. Most recently, nine-year-old American tourist Beau Brattain suffered more than 100 separate bite wounds when he was mauled by a pack of dogs while vacationing on Bimini. In the wake of the attack, Brattain’s family launched a public crowdfunding campaign on GoFundMe to cover the staggering costs of emergency medical care, long-term rehabilitation, travel, and reconstructive surgery, with projected total expenses ranging from $2 million to $4 million, depending on the extent of ongoing treatment the boy will require.

Harrington Rolle, the 34-year-old dog owner linked to the Bimini attack, has already pleaded guilty to three criminal charges: negligently causing grievous harm, allowing a dangerous dog to roam at large, and owning an out-of-control dangerous animal that caused harm to a member of the public. He was sentenced to 12 months in prison by Acting Chief Magistrate Ancella Evans during his arraignment in New Providence.

Just one month before the Bimini attack, 66-year-old Kemp Road resident Don Smith was hospitalized after being mauled by a pack of roughly 10 dogs – including four pit bulls, according to his daughter Carmetta Butler – while crossing a local road. The consecutive high-profile attacks amplified public pressure on the Bahamas government to implement decisive action to address the long-unresolved stray dog crisis that has threatened local communities and tourist safety alike.

Campbell thanked the Animal Control Unit staff, the Royal Bahamas Police Force, and leading local animal welfare organizations including the Bahamas Humane Society and the Bahamas Alliance for Animal Rights and Kindness (BAARK) for their collaboration in developing the new intervention strategy, noting that coordinated input from all parties has been critical to building a response that balances public safety with humane animal welfare standards.