Homicide detectives say while there are grounds to suspect that the remains found in a burnt car in Claxton Bay on January 28 might be those of Danette Pierre, they will need a DNA test to confirm the identity of the person.
Pierre, 31, a mother of three, has been missing since January 27, after she left her family’s rented apartment in Petit Morne Settlement, Ste Madeleine.
Her mother, Donna Pierre, 63, said Pierre went to “make a turn.”
Pierre left the apartment wearing a pair of blue jeans, a jersey and a “crinkled” light blue shirt, slippers and a brown purse.
Donna said she did not hear a vehicle to suggest that someone picked her up.
The following day, a passer-by reported a car was on fire on a dirt track off Cedar Hill Road, Claxton Bay. Police arrived at the scene, saw a Mazda 3 ablaze, and contacted the Couva Fire Station. When firefighters extinguished the flames, they found charred human remains in the back seat. Police traced the car to someone in Sangre Grande who previously reported it stolen.
Officers did not find Pierre’s mobile phone. Police found jewellery at the crime scene that resembled Pierre’s, but no one has identified them.
The pathologist who examined the remains at the Forensic Science Centre said the damage was too bad to determine the gender of the victim. Therefore, the centre needs deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) analysis to determine the victim’s identity. Investigators requested samples from Pierre’s family and are awaiting their response.
Pierre previously lived in St James and Goodwood Park before moving to Ste Madeleine.
