WHEN Annecia "Smallie" Lewis left her Bagatelle Road, Diego Martin home last Friday with a friend, to take a dip in the Fond Palmiste River – something her family said she was accustomed doing – she would have done so not knowing it was to be her last swim.

A search by relatives, friends, hikers and the police, after Lewis failed to return home, ended in sorrow on Sunday morning when her body was found in the sea in Westmoorings. It is believed that strong river currents pulled Lewis underwater to her death, with her body eventually washing out to sea.

Police confirmed that at 7.50 am on Sunday, officers found the 37-year-old woman's body in the sea south of the river's mouth near the La Rivera Towers in Westmoorings.

The police also confirmed that numerous reports on social media – including from several news outlets – that two other bodies were found were completely false.

Ren Gopeesingh of the Hunters Search and Rescue Team, who assisted police with the search, confirmed that on Sunday police got a report that the woman’s body was discovered in the waters near the Trinidad Yacht Club. At about 9.45 am, Coast Guard officers retrieved Lewis' body.

After the body was positively identified by family members who went to Westmoorings, it was taken to the Forensic Science Centre in St James where an autopsy will be done to officially ascertain cause of death.

FAMILY: IT WASN'T A HIKE

Relatives were reluctant to speak to Newsday on Sunday, but clarified that Lewis was not part of any hiking group, contrary to several reports.

“She accustomed going up the hill to that river,” said her sister Crystal. “She and her friend Sandy went there last Friday. She wasn’t with a group or on any hike.”

Residents said that is customary for them to frequent the Fond Palmiste River, the Blue Basin River and other water courses in the area, especially on hotter days.

[caption id="attachment_911402" align="alignnone" width="1024"] SEA SEARCH: An aerial view of officers from the TTPS Coastal and Riverine Unit searching the Gulf of Paria after Annecia "Smallie" Lewis disappeared after bathing at the Fond Palmiste River in Diego Martin. Her body was found on Sunday in the sea near Westmoorings. PHOTO COURTESY TTPS - TTPS[/caption]

Newsday was told that on Friday, the area was humid after very strong wind gusts earlier in the day. However, at 2 pm, a heavy and sudden downpour took place and the sudden rush of water is believed to have caused dangerous currents which pulled Lewis under.

Newsday was told that Lewis and her friend met with other people at a waterfall along the river’s course, but when the water started coming down heavily, they decided to leave.

Relatives said Lewis who was small in stature struggled as she walked through waist high water as she walked behind her friend Sandy who managed to make her way out of the river. When Sandy looked back for Lewis, she had disappeared.

Villagers as well as the Hunters Search and Rescue Team, the TTPS air support unit, the TTPS coastal and riverine unit, the Fi

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