Two bodies discovered floating at sea in Chateaubelair

by Taranjah Yah Fri, Oct 12, 2012

The usual tranquility of Chateaubelair was interrupted earlier this week, with two dead bodies discovered off the coast, floating at sea, and two other men claiming to have been attacked.{{more}}

On Monday, about 9 p.m., two men, believed to be of St Lucian nationality, were taken to the Chateaubelair hospital, one with a gunshot wound to his arm, while the other nursed a chop wound to his thigh.

The injured men were said to have been found hiding close to the VINLEC hydroelectricity plant at Fitzhughes, by a company employee, who called the police.

The men were later taken to the Milton Cato Memorial Hospital (MCMH) in Kingstown, where up to press time, they were said to be patients.

Sources told SEARCHLIGHT that the men reported that they were lured to the area and robbed and that one of their friends was missing.

Meanwhile, Julius Francis, a water taxi operator of Chateaubelair told SEARCHLIGHT that the following day, Tuesday, he was contacted by police and asked to assist in recovering a body found floating, from an area close to shore, just off Morne Round.

A source told SEARCHLIGHT the victim had suffered gunshot wounds. The body was brought ashore at Richmond Bay about 5 p.m., Tuesday, where it was met by police officers and district medical officer Dr Francis Murray.

Several individuals were picked up by police on Tuesday, but later released, while members of the Rapid Response Unit (RRU) of the Police Force patrolled the area and a coastguard vessel was seen picking up and dropping off men at the wharf.

Residents of Chateaubelair were further shocked when around 11 a.m. Wednesday, police and coastguard officers arrived at the Chateaubelair wharf, in a Customs department vessel, with another body in a white body bag.

This time, Murray was taken to the vessel where the person was pronounced dead.

“It was a busy time for the living and the dead,” Murray later quipped.

A police source told SEARCHLIGHT that the second victim is most likely of Vincentian nationality and may be in his late 20s to early 30s. It is believed he may have suffered blunt trauma.

Police are investigating the cases, including the possibility that there may be a connection between two or more of them.