Almost two years after someone murdered Point Fortin mother Ceslyn Farrel, her son Patrick and friend Seyelles Hannah, their families are pleading with authorities to release their remains so they can have some closure. On February 28, 2020, police and firefighters responded to a fire at Petrotrin Quarters in Guapo. When they got there, they found three bodies burnt beyond recognition.
However, relatives said they could identify Farrell through her dentures and Patrick was the only male living in the house.
Hannah stayed with the family after leaving an abusive relationship. Investigators believe that someone murdered them before setting the house on fire, as witnesses reported seeing a man committing the arson.
Farrell’s daughter, Lucy Ann Farrell-Sandy, told Guardian Media that the emotional and mental wounds were still open, as her mother and brother’s remains lie in bags at the Forensic Science Centre (FSC) in St James, longing for a proper send-off.
“If it is that we have to get the bodies to bury them and have some closure, we are willing to because we do not know what is going on. Nobody is communicating anymore to tell us x, y,z. Nothing! Anybody who could tell us what we could do or how to go about it or if we could just go forensic and demand we get our relatives’ bodies to bury. Anything, because it is so long. Two years is too long,” Farrel-Sandy said.
Following the murders, the remains were at the FSC, where staff took DNA samples to confirm the identities. Relatives wanted to send the samples to a laboratory in Jamaica but there was no response.
The FSC found a local laboratory with the capability. But this was back in 2020. The latest relatives heard was the issue was in the hands of the Government to rectify through the Parliament.
Investigators explained that the FSC could not give the remains to the Farrells as they currently list them as unidentified. It sent the samples to Caribbean Forensic Services Ltd but there was a breakdown between FSC and the private laboratory.
Officers said FSC was sending all its samples for analysis because it did not have the capacity to sequence them. They said the investigation is still ongoing but the inability of the FSC to analyse DNA hinders them from advancing several cases.
Meanwhile, the Farrells say they see the suspect in his taxi daily, showing no remorse. He had been held for questioning with a strong motive for the murders.
“Yes, he is out and about. Nearly every day, we see him on the road. He always has run-ins with people on. He would tell people, ‘allyuh doh know who I am?’ He has no remorse.”
Farrell-Sandy said her family could not move on until they understood why they must mourn.
“Everybody is affected in some way or the other. Nieces, nephews, grandchildren, everybody.”
She said in early 2021, a senior police officer contacted the family and gave assurances that investigators were working on the case.
But every time they seek answers from one of the investigators, her phone goes to voicemail.