WHAT was first believed to be a tragic but deadly accident - in which a woman who was said to be drunk, died after falling - is now a full-blown murder investigation after an autopsy showed she was beaten to death.

Relatives of Krystal Long are calling on police to give them justice by arresting and charging a man who Long knew and whom she she was liming with shortly before her death.

Speaking with Newsday on Wednesday, relatives said they were first told Long died on September 9, after she was out drinking with the man.

Her death certificate listed cause of death as multiple blunt force injuries. Her autopsy was done on September 19 and she was buried on September 23

Long, 37, who was the mother of three, of Santa Rosa Heights, Arima was found dead at Sapodilla Drive Crescent in Arima.

Newsday was shown a video of the man grabbing her by the hair and dragging her into a car. Relatives claimed this happened weeks before she died and when she was on her way to report him to the police.

Long, who worked at the Arima Borough, was afraid of the man because of his violent ways.

'She was afraid of him because he is a fella anywhere he meet her, he used to drag and beat her. He used to threaten to kill her family.'

'My family was very quiet, she was always to herself. A very private person, she didn't deserve that at all,' the relative said. Newsday could not ascertain from police if the man is indeed a person of interest in the investigations, and if so, if he has been arrested.

Long's relatives said they are angry that police accepted original version that she died after falling while being intoxicated. Homicide detectives only got involved after the autopsy was done as her death was initially ruled accidental.

Long is the second woman reported to be killed this month.

On Monday, the body of Marissa Edwards was found in Couva, nine days after she disappeared after she left home to go and drink and lime with her on-again, off-again boyfriend Simeon Roopchand.

Roopchand's decomposing body was found hanging from a tree in the Tabaquite forest on September 24. His car was found a kilometre from where his body was found. It is believed he murdered Edwards before taking his own life. Autopsies Edwards and Roopchand are yet to be done.

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