An anonymous tip provided by Crime Stoppers, yesterday, led a contingent of police to the headless and almost completely burnt body of a man at Sea Lots, Port-of-Spain. Up to late yesterday afternoon, officers of Besson Street Police Station, under acting ASP Sahadeo Singh, were using dogs to assist in the recovery of the head, which was believed to be dumped at sea. Coast Guard officers also scoured the murky waters and the nearby mangroves, but after a futile three hours, the search was called off. Police said just after 7 am yesterday, a call to the station informed that a "body" was seen "still burning" in the abandoned fish market building near the lighthouse.
When they arrived on the scene, police found the corpse still smouldering, leading investigators to believe that the act was committed early yesterday morning or late on Sunday night. Parts of the body were so badly burnt that the bones were seen jutting out. Next to the body, police found two blood-stained cutlasses, which they said were probably used to hack the victim to death. Also discovered close to the corpse were two three-quarter-length black jeans, a pair of brown Clarke shoes, a pair of white sneakers, a yellow jersey, a black jacket, a gold chain, a silver chain and a gold bracelet.
Investigators were also working on the theory that since there was more than one piece of male clothing, and with the large quantity of blood at the scene, there might have been two victims. The other, police theorised, might have been dumped in the sea, together with the head. But the search for another corpse also turned up empty. Because of the discovery of the jewelry, police have ruled out robbery as the motive. After interviewing several residents, police learnt that just before the corpse was found, there was a party in the abandoned building.
A large quantity of empty beer and rum bottles littered the scene. A silver grey Suzuki Baleno, which was discovered parked a stone's throw away from the scene, was also of interest to investigators. One resident said he was alerted to the discovery after a man was heard saying, "Look a body burning. "That was around 7 am. That old building always have thing going on. But we have to do as if we don't see."