The police are trying to ascertain the identity of the remains found buried in the backyard of a house in Valsayn on Tuesday.
But it is believed the bones were that of 18-year-old Hannah Mathura, who was never reported missing. The remains were said to have been buried near a tree in a shallow grave behind the family home in Butu Road, South Valsayn, in 2017.
The police were tipped off by a male relative, who showed them the location of the grave. An excavator was used to dig up the body.
Eight other children were found locked in the house at the time. A male relative who police believe was responsible for burying the teen's body was on the run up until press time.
One neighbour told Newsday she was shocked by the find.
“I feel as if I’m living next to a serial killer.”
She said she would often hear fighting, screaming, cursing and even blows and would sometimes see the abuse through a window of the house. She said before the pandemic, she called the police and the Children’s Authority several times to report the abuse, but nothing came of it.
She said the children appeared to be afraid and were often heard crying. She did not know exactly how many children lived in the house. She said some had received scholarships and went to university.
She said the children were not allowed to be outside or in the road. The older children were allowed to go to work to bring money into the home but she was told they were closely monitored.
She could not say if the suspect also worked.
She said the compound was divided into three sections and the one where the family lived had not had electricity for about five years.
She told Newsday Mathura was pretty, had long hair and had a disability. She had seen Mathura being beaten by a relative with a piece of wood on several occasions.
At one point a few years ago, she said she asked a relative about the whereabouts of the girl but he claimed not to know.
A worker at the home of a neighbour said the excavators came to the house around 2 pm but it was not until hours later, when she saw a news report, that she realised police were looking for a body.
Supt Claire Guy-Alleyne, head of the TTPS Gender Based Violence Unit, said, “In my career, I have never seen anything like this before.”
That was not the first time there has been an incident at the house. In 2015 an alleged bandit was killed there during an attempted robbery.
According to reports, on November 25, 2015, a bandit armed with a piece of iron broke into the home and approached a husband and wife. The man fought the bandit, who was pushed against a window. The window shattered and killed the intruder.
The investigation into the remains is being led by Snr Supt Smith and ASP Ramharack.
Benjamin: Victims need psychological intervention
People who are locked away from society for long periods could be victims of significant trauma and possibly Stockholm syndrome.
So said president and CEO of the Centre for Human Development Ltd Hanif Benjamin.
He spoke to Newsday in the wake of the discove
