Senior Reporter
kevon.felmine@guardian.co.tt
The Special Victims Department of the police service (SVD) is investigating the death of a Gasparillo mother, Sunita Mohammed.
Police said the woman died yesterday morning following an altercation with a male relative the previous night.
Investigators said Mohammed, a caretaker from Pond Lane, School Trace, succumbed to her injuries at the San Fernando General Hospital after allegedly being pushed by a relative. Her death has not yet been officially classified by investigators.
A police report stated that 50-year-old Mohammed was at home around 5 pm when a heated argument erupted between her and the relative. The relative later told police that he pushed her during the altercation, causing her to fall backwards and hit her head. He rushed her to the Accident and Emergency Department of the hospital, where she received treatment. Mohammed was subsequently transferred to a ward.
However, at 3.04 am yesterday, medical staff contacted the Gasparillo Police Station to report that Mohammed had died.
The Homicide Bureau of Investigations is currently overseeing the SVD’s investigation.
Officers said they have taken statements and are working to determine the exact cause of death. Neighbours reported seeing police at Mohammed’s home yesterday morning, where they took her two sons, who had been at home during the incident. Investigators are now awaiting a medical report from the hospital and post-mortem results to confirm Mohammed’s cause of death before advancing their investigation.
When Guardian Media visited Mohammed’s home, no one was present. Another relative, who lives in the community, said that upon returning home he was told that Mohammed had fallen in the bathroom and later died at the hospital.
“I heard that she fell. When the boys were going with the police, I asked (named called) what happened. He said their mommy fell down, and they called the ambulance, but it did not come. So [name withheld] went with her to the hospital. My brother told me they were doing tests, and she seemed to be okay, but then they said she did not make it,” the relative explained.
He added that the relative who accompanied Mohammed to the hospital was still there when police took her sons away.
While he said he and Mohammed did not share a close relationship, he said he knew she was seldom at home, as she spent most of her time caring for a patient whose family frequently travelled to the United States for business.