Shane Superville
Senior Reporter
shane.superville@guardian.co.tt
More than two weeks after 70-year-old businessman Derrick Tardieu was released from kidnappers, the whereabouts of his wife, Claribel Tardieu, remain unknown, with various resources still assigned to the investigation into their abduction.
Tardieu was kidnapped at his Blanchette Bay, Monos Island, home on the night of December 6, 2025.
Police said a relative received a voice note from a foreign number that night, in which Tardieu confirmed being in captivity, as his kidnappers demanded US$2.5 million for his and his wife’s safe release.
The ransom demand was later reduced.
Tardieu was eventually released days later on the evening of December 17 on Trinidad’s North Coast. His wife’s location remained unknown up to January 6.
It was reported that TT $150,000 and US $5000 were paid to Tardieu’s kidnappers.
Police sources confirmed to Guardian Media yesterday that there have been no “major developments” in the investigation since Tardieu’s release in December, but maintained that various investigative units together with technological tools were being used as part of the enquiry.
“The information has dried up, but the enquiry is still ongoing. There is focus on cellphone use, interception of communication and also aerial surveillance, but beyond the routine of trying to source intel, there hasn’t been much returns.”
The source said that based on accounts of how long Tardieu was kept aboard the boat by his captors, it was likely that he and his wife were taken to South America, but that could not be independently confirmed.
The sources said that while the TTPS were collaborating with law enforcement counterparts abroad, it would be difficult to maintain constant contact due to the seizure of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro by US forces on January 3, 2026.
“We’re still trying to go back and see if we missed anything and check a lot of sources, but there hasn’t been much information forthcoming.”
