The horrific death of four-year-old Amarah Lallitte on April 9 shocked the country. But children in T&T have been subjected to heinous crimes and very often, after the nine-day wonder has passed, most times the country moves on to another story. Do they ever get justice? What happens to their families?
This week, the Guardian Media Investigations Desk looks back on some of the more high-profile cases of children who were killed, whether their killers were brought to justice, what life after such loss looks like and whether their families can move on.
The Investigations Desk took a sample size of 69 high-profile cases over a 33-year period. From that data, we were able to ascertain that more female children were killed than males, that parents and close relatives were often perpetrators and while crime happens all over the country, there was a high percentage of child murders in Chaguanas.
Here is what the data revealed:
High percentage
of female victims
Of 69 listed high-profile cases of children who were killed, or are presumed dead, between 1991 and 2024, 36 victims were female, while 33 were male.
For victims five years old and under, 61 per cent were girls, while 39 per cent were boys.
Girls also accounted for the majority of victims between the ages of five and ten years old, representing 53 per cent.
However, unlike the other age categories, more boys were killed among victims between ten and 19 years old.
In that age group, boys represented 64 per cent of all victims.
Step-parents, parents commit 32 % of killings
Analysing those responsible, or those allegedly responsible, for the murders, 38 per cent of the crimes were committed by people who remain unknown or were committed by strangers.
Among the cases committed by unknown people is the infamous killing of 11-year-old Akiel Chambers, who was raped, murdered and discarded in the pool at a Maraval home in 1998; the 2006 murder of 12-year-old Dane Andrews in New Grant, and the 2017 murder of 16-year-old Rachel Ramkissoon, who was raped and killed after taking a taxi to school.
Meanwhile, an example of a killing committed by strangers includes the 2023 murder of six-year-old Kylie Maloney. Two people - 25-year-old Aaaron London and 30-year-old Kenfentsse Simmons - were charged with her murder.
Ten stepfathers were charged with murder, accounting for 14 per cent of all listed killings.
In 2010, two-year-old Etean Smith was beaten to death at his Aranguez home. His stepfather Kamaldeo Singh was charged.
In 2013, six-year-old Keyanna Cumberbatch was killed and stuffed in a barrel in her Maloney Gardens apartment. Her stepfather Dwayne Lewis was charged.
Most recently, Isan Contant, the stepfather of Amarah Lalittle was charged with the killing of the four-year-old.
Five biological fathers faced the courts for killing their children.
In 2013, the father of one-month-old Andrew Mowlah, who has the same name, was charged with his murder.
In 2014, three-year-old Keanna Mayers and 10-month-old brother Omari Mayers were strangled to death by their father, who committed suicide.
In 2020, eight-year-old Makeisha Maynard was beaten to death by her father, who then killed himself.
Four mothers and three stepmothers were charged with killing children.
In 2015, the mother of 22-month-old Rajel Jeremiah Hillaire-Forrow was accused of beating her daughter to death.
A year later, in 2022, the mother of nine-month-old Salieen Ramsaroop, Shalini, faced the courts for allegedly feeding her daughter poisoned milk.
Meanwhile, in 2016, four-year-old Jenice Figaro was beaten to death in Whiteland, Couva. Her stepmother was charged.
Geographically, the listed killings occurred in 42 different locations across T&T.
According to the Investigative Desk’s calculations, most of the killings, six murders, took place in Chaguanas.
The first of those happened in 1993, when Angela Ramdeen allegedly killed and buried her stepdaughters - eight-year-old Tulsie Dass and seven-year-old Sabrina Dass.
In 2006, 13-year-old Permanand Persad was beaten, raped and murdered by his neighbour.
In 2013, two-year-old Kimora Roopnarine was beaten to death, allegedly by her stepfather.
Also in 2013, 14-year-old Renaldo Dixon was stabbed multiple times.
In 2018, 13-year-old Joash Pantin was raped and strangled in Longdenville, allegedly by his neighbour.
In 2022, nine-year-old Jomol Modeste was shot dead when armed men shot at a group of men at a recreation ground in Enterprise.
Marabella was the area with the second number of killings at four. In 2006, four-year-old Amy Annamunthodo was raped and suffocated. Her stepfather Marlon King was charged. In 2018, 16-year-old Noah Simmons was shot dead. One year later, in 2019, 15-year-old Damien Duncan was stabbed to death by a group of eight young people. Most recently, in 2023, eight-year-old Noel Thomas was murdered along with his mother in their home.
Laventille ranked third as the area with the most child killings with three. In 2009, ten-year-old Tecia Henry went to a shop in the community and disappeared. She is presumed dead. In 2015, 23-month-old Khrista Knutt was electrocuted with live wires. Her stepfather was charged. Then, in February, 12-year-old Ezekiel Paria was shot near his Rudolph Charles Link Road home.
Several locations, including Talparo, Penal, Sangre Grande, Palo Seco, New Grant, Diego Martin, Arima and Barataria recorded two killings.
State of prosecutions
While it’s often easier to identify perpetrators in children’s deaths, there is a low percentage of prosecutions.
In the last three years, out of 43 incidents where children were killed or died, only 15 matters were solved and are before the courts.
In 2021, when 11 children were killed, only three cases went forward with people being charged.
In 2022, of 18 children killed, eight cases were solved.
Christian Liverpool, ten, was killed while playing with a gun in Arima in January. While a relative was arrested, he was later released without charge. That matter was considered solved.
In May 2022, 12-year-old Levi Lewis was chopped to death in Penal. No one was arrested. That matter is considered unsolved
In 2023, 14 children were killed and to date, only four of those our cases were solved
One homicide officer, who spoke with Guardian Media on condition of anonymity, said in cases of abuse that eventually lead to murders, the perpetrators are usually relatives or people close to the family.
“This means that it’s usually very easy for us to narrow down a pool of suspects. There is sometimes a history of violent behaviour towards the child so there is a baseline to establish our investigation.”
He added that while investigators typically have a hard time gathering information and convincing witnesses to come forward, outrage caused by a child’s murder usually prompts more people to speak out.
“When a child dies a lot of people feel that pain, so it’s quite common for people to come forward as witnesses because they may have heard or seen something. Our challenge is really getting people to come forward and report instances of abuse before it reaches a point where a child is killed.”
1991
Oma Nanan, 11, was last seen entering a car in front of her Talparo home. More than three decades later, Nanan remains missing.
1993
The bodies of sisters Tulsie Dass - eight, and Sabrina - seven, were dug up from a shallow grave in Carlsen Field, Chaguanas. Stepmother Angela Ramdeen charged.
1998
Akiel Chambers, 11, was suffocated, buggered and his lifeless body thrown in a pool at a Maraval home following a birthday party.
2003
Marc Prescott, six, vanished outside his San Fernando Boys’ Catholic School, never to be found.
2004
Vijay Persad, ten, was taken from his family’s Moruga home by men demanding cash, never to be found again.
2005
Radha Pixie Lakan,16, was snatched, violated and strangled to death. Her decomposed body was found a month later not far from her Siparia home. Paul Vincent was charged and convicted.
2006
Amy Annamunthodo, four, was raped, buggered, beaten and suffocated at her Marabella home. Stepfather Marlon King was charged.
Sean Luke, six, was sodomised with a cane stalk and killed metres from his Orange Valley, Couva home.
Permanand Persad, 13, was beaten, buggered, tortured and murdered in Enterprise, Chaguanas. A neighbour was charged.
Lily Supersad, six, died after she was forced to drink poison by a relative in her Sangre Grande home.
Dane Andrews, 12, was buggered and murdered. The boy had gone after school with friends to swim in a pool in New Grant. He never returned home. After an all-night search, his body was found in the pond. An autopsy revealed Andrews had been the victim of sexual abuse.
2008
Hope Arismandez, eight, disappeared from her Chase Village, Carapichaima home. Following a search, the child’s semi-nude body was discovered near a canefield in Felicity. The little girl was raped, beaten and her throat slit. Sunil Ali was charged but committed suicide in prison.
2009
Tecia Henry, ten, went to a shop in her Laventille community and never returned home. Three days later, her body was found wrapped in plastic not too far from her home.
Damien Duncan, 15, dressed in his school uniform, was chased, beaten and stabbed to death by a group of eight youths in Marabella.
2010
Rawtee Boodoo, 31, murdered her children, Ashwaria, five, and 15-month-old Kristina, by hanging them before taking her own life at their Penal home.
Etean Smith, two, was beaten to death at his Aranguez home following a domestic dispute. Stepfather Kamaldeo Singh was charged.
2012
An autopsy on two-year-old Aaliyah Johnson showed she was beaten to death. Johnson, who lived in San Francique, suffered blunt force trauma to her abdomen which ruptured her liver.
2013
Kimora Roopnarine, two, was beaten to death at her Chaguanas, Enterprise home. Her stepfather was charged.
Jabari Hernandez, three, of Coryal, lost his life to violence.
Days after Keyanna Cumberbatch, six, went missing, her decomposing body was found stuffed in a barrel at her Maloney Gardens apartment. Stepfather Dwayne Lewis was charged.
The body of one-year-old Jacob Monroe was found in a cesspit in St Joseph. Father Allan Thomas was charged.
One-month-old Andre Mowlah was slammed to the ground in a fit of rage at his Point Fortin home. His father was charged.
An argument over a girl left Waterloo Secondary School student Renaldo Dixon, 14, dead. The Chaguanas teen was stabbed multiple times.
2014
Fiftenn-year-old pregnant mother Aleah Cain shot dead in Belmont
Three-year-old Keanna Mayers and 10-month-old brother Omari Mayers were strangled to death in Barataria by her father, who then committed suicide.
Thirteen-year-old Dayron Baker was shot dead while walking to his grandparents’ shop in Diego Martin
2015
Twenty-two-month-old Rajel Jeremiah Hillaire-Forrow was beaten to death in Couva. His mother was charged.
Two-year-old Keyra Singh was shot dead in their Diego Martin family home
Twenty-three-month-old Khrista Knutt was electrocuted with live wires in Laventille. Her stepfather was charged.
2016
Fourteen-year-old Darian Nedd was dismembered and his body torched in South Oropouche.
Four-year-old Kermiel Jacob and eight-month-old Kyla Jacob died after their family home was deliberately set on fire
Sixteen-year-old Josiah Martinez was shot dead in Barataria. Stepfather was charged.
Four-year-old Jenice Figaro was beaten to death in Whiteland, Couva. The stepmother was charged.
2017
Rachel Ramkissoon, 16, took a taxi to her North Eastern College school. Her body was found in a forested area not too far from her Talparo home. An autopsy showed she had been strangled.
Five-year-old Solisha Solomon and her father were stabbed to death in Mamoral.
Fifteen-year-old Emmanuel Okira was stabbed and then drowned in Freeport - an 18-year-old and 12-year-old were charged.
The battered body of Jesse Beephan, 16, was discovered in a drain near a bushy area neighbouring his Waterloo High School.
2018
A nine-year-old from La Horquetta was beaten to death. A male relative charged.
Fifteen-month-old Raquel George was raped and killed in Palo Seco. Sibling charged.
Sixteen-year-old Noah Simmons shot dead in Marabella on his birthday
Thirteen-year-old Joash Pantin was raped and strangled in Longdenville. Neighbour charged.
2019
Fourteen-year-old Naomi Nelson was shot dead in a shootout between police and some criminals in Big Yard, Carenage.
Twelve-year-old Keyon Gill shot dead with her father in a car along Lady Chancellor Hill in Port-of-Spain.
Seven-month-old Jacob and sister Sarah Choon were killed along with their pregnant mother by their father, who killed himself in Cunupia.
2020
Eight-year-old Makeisha Maynard was beaten to death for wetting her bed at her Caroni home. Killed by her father who killed himself.
2021
Sariah Williams, one, chopped to death in Tarodale. The former lover of her grandmother was charged.
2022
Nine-year-old Jomol Modeste was gunned down when armed men opened fire on a group of men at a recreational ground in Enterprise, Chaguanas
Christian Liverpool, ten, was found dead with a gunshot wound to his head at his Arima home.
Marlon Stewart, 14, was killed after sustaining gunshot wounds outside his Morvant home.
Nine-month-old Salieen Ramsaroop took her last breath at her New Grant home after she was forced-fed milk laced with poison. Mother Shalini Ramsaroop charged.
Three-year-old Nazim Owen among four people shot dead in Diego Martin.
2023
Videsh Dookran, 15, was chopped, shot and his body stuffed in a latrine a short distance from his Golconda home.
McKenzie Hope Rechia, seven, was strangled to death at her Palo Seco home. Mother charged.
Eight-year-old Noel Thomas was killed with his mom while they were sleeping at their Marabella home.
Thirteen-year-old Andrea Lallan was murdered in Mayaro after identifying a man who raped her. Shot dead at home with uncle.
Ten-year-old Faith Peterkin, 14-year-old Arianna Peterkin and 17-year-old Shane Peterkin were shot dead with their sister inside their Guanapo Heights home.
Five-year-old Shakeel Williams was killed in his El Socorro home. Female relative charged.
Kylie Meloney, six, was killed in a shooting at her Sangre Grande home. Two men were charged.
Darshan Ramnauth, 16, ran out of his St Augustine home to check on his grandmother after hearing rapid gunfire. The teenager was chased by the gunmen who shot him several times.
2024
Amy Rihanna Doodnath, a two-month-old baby, died as a result of blunt force trauma at her Penal home.
Ezekiel Paria, 12, was fatally shot near his Rudolph Charles Link Road, Laventille home.
Amarah Lalittle, four, was beheaded at her Arouca home. The toddler was missing an eye, her lips were cut open and her face had multiple wounds. Her stepfather charged.
Some criminals help in finding child killers
Another officer in the Arima CID has reported instances where suspected criminals have also passed on information to police so they can find child killers.
In one situation in 2019, the officer noted an incident where a reputed crime figure shared information on where to find a person accused of murdering a child earlier that year.
“I know the person he led us to was eventually arrested. It shows that people ... even criminals, will have certain standards when it comes to their activities.
“Also, a lot of criminals will not want people accused of harming a child to be mingling around them in their neighbourhoods because it brings added police attention to themselves.”
The officer also acknowledged that neighbourhoods which were part of gang territories maintained a strict silence in all murders, regardless of who was killed.
In 2016, Deneilson Smith, 17 and Mark Richards, 15, were pulled from a car and gunned down in Sogren Trace, Laventille.
To date, no one has been charged for their murders. However, Homicide detectives say the suspected killers are still alive.
