(Trinidad Guardian) A 35-year-old mother of three was killed and her body burnt beyond recognition at her home in Manzanilla on Thursday evening, by a man she reportedly knew.
The tragic incident reportedly took place in full view of Patricia Phillip’s seven-year-old son.
The suspect later surrendered himself to the police and is currently at the Chaguanas Police Station.
Phillip was originally from Eagle Avenue, Branch Trace, Enterprise, but she was killed while at a friend’s house on the Eastern Main Road, Manzanilla.
Police said Phillip’s son was not hurt during the incident, but was reportedly found walking on the streets.
According to a police report, at about 5.30 pm, Phillip was with her son at the friend’s home when the suspect stormed in and attacked her.
Phillip’s friend told police that he ran away and later saw his house on fire.
Police said an autopsy will be done at the Forensic Science Centre to determine the actual cause of death.
The friend, police said, went to the Manzanilla Police Station where he reported the matter.
Sgt Bhim and Cpl Singh, along with other officers, went to the scene.
A team from the Mayaro Fire Station under the supervision of FSSO Thomas also responded and was able to put out the fire.
Phillip’s body, which was burnt beyond recognition, was found among the rubble of the house in an area believed to be the living room. Phillip’s son, police said, was found in good health and unharmed approximately a quarter-mile away from where the incident occurred.
At the relatives’ home in Enterprise on Friday, Phillip’s younger sister Tazmin Hussein said Phillip was the mother of three– two boys and a girl aged 15, 14 and seven.
“She would stay home mostly and see about the household. She was a nice person. Very caring for everyone. She would help out everyone. We don’t know what happened. We want some answers.”
Phillip’s cousin, Salome Mohammed, said the family is not taking it well.
Mohammed said, “Having lost our cousin to this traumatic experience and the seven-year-old son to witness everything is very heartbreaking.”
“We didn’t get any sleep after the news yesterday (Thursday) and it’s hard as a woman to wake up to these things every other day. It’s just unbelievable,” Mohammed added.
She may have been the last one to speak to Phillip before tragedy struck and said that she sounded happy.
“I had just spoken to her 30 minutes before the incident because she wanted to know if her son, Jeremy, went to school she was happy and normal. She wasn’t in any distress when she called.”
“She was a homemaker and when she was younger she tried to run a shop but that didn’t work out too well and off and on she would babysit for one of the neighbours,” Mohammed also said.
Asked if they knew she had been abused allegedly by the suspect, Phillip’s relatives said she never told them anything, however, on Thursday night after the incident they allegedly heard from Phillip’s children that the suspect used to hit her.
“But she never told us anything about it,” Mohammed said.
