WEEKS after a brother and sister appealed publicly for the bodies of their mother and brother, two years after they were murdered, they received their remains.
On February 28, 2020, police and fire officers went to a house fire at Petrotrin Quarters in Guapo. After putting out the fire, they found the bodies of 69-year-old Ceslyn “Linda” Farrell, her son Patrick, 48, and friend Seycelles Hannah, 41, burnt beyond recognition. The autopsies, done days after the killings, said the three were chopped and stabbed to death and the house set afire.
But from then to August 8 this year, relatives of the three could not get access to the bodies of their loved ones.
On August 4, siblings Michael and Cindy Farrell visited the Forensic Science Centre hoping for answers as to why their mother and brother’s bodies had not been released. That day they spoke with the media about the undue delay and called on the relevant authorities to step in.
Michael said then that just after the murders, the pandemic hit, and there was the understanding that there would be some delay – but not 29 months.
On August 8 the Farrells received the bodies, They are now awaiting the death certificates and the arrival of other siblings and relatives to finally say their goodbyes.
Michael said then the journey began at the San Fernando branch of Legal Affairs just after the murders. He was then referred to the Point Fortin branch, where the registrar fell ill and he had to wait for her health to improve. When, instead, she died, he was sent back to San Fernando to restart the entire process.
He said he submitted samples twice for testing to confirm the identity of his dead relatives. The first sample was given a month after the murders, but he had to repeat the process in February this year.
The results of the DNA sampling, he said, was a keep-back at Forensic for a time. The other delay was in paperwork from the Ministry of Legal Affairs.
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