(Trinidad Guardian) Two days after Irving Ming, 87, was reported kidnapped and a $10,000 ransom demanded, police officers Friday found his body stuffed in a barrel under his house.
Eleven members of his immediate family, including four children, were taken in for questioning and to give official statements. Other relatives were interviewed by police on the scene.
Preliminary investigations revealed Ming was strangled to death at his Calcutta No. 2, Freeport home.
A report was made to the Freeport Police Station by two relatives—a male and female—that Ming was kidnapped from his home around 5 pm Wednesday. Anti-Kidnapping Unit officers were called in and both relatives assisted in the preliminary stages of the investigation. The woman was then transferred to the Couva Police Station while the man was kept at the Freeport Police Station.
Before 7 am yesterday, AKU officers had already asked for assistance from other units, including Homicide, Criminal Investigations Department and the Canine Unit. The team of officers went to Ming’s house and carried out extensive searches of the bushy area behind it and an adjacent house. The officers were guided by aerial surveillance done with a drone.
The officers later got a search warrant for Ming’s house and made the gruesome discovery shortly before 2 pm. Ming’s body was found in a barrel in the garage area next to a white Sunny vehicle.
About 40 minutes after, three women and a boy were escorted by officers to a vehicle where they were taken to the police station for questioning. Several other relatives were kept on the scene as it was processed by crime scene officers.
Police said one of Ming’s children yesterday confessed to them, saying he went to the upstairs portion of the home where he saw a male relative over him (Ming) strangling him. Police said he told them he was too scared to say anything about it.
The T&T Guardian was also told by a relative who wished not to be identified that Ming was frequently beaten by a relative and on the last occasion, due to a severe beating, Ming turned to the court to get the relative evicted.
Ming, who was originally from Bank Village, Carapichaima, worked for a prominent attorney as a driver for many years. He was described as a “great man” by friends and neighbours.
A neighbour close by said she noticed “something weird” taking place at Ming’s house on Monday night.
“I’m afraid to say what I noticed but I knew something was not right,” the neighbour said.
Investigations are continuing.
