(Trinidad Guardian) An autopsy is expected to be carried out today on the body of a Valsayn woman who was found dead in her home on Wednesday.
Viscella Richards, 79, was found with her hands bound on the bedroom floor of the house at Valsayn Avenue, off Ashland Avenue, North Valsayn. There were no other marks of violence on the body.
Richards had no children and lived alone at the house, located at the end of a private road in the upscale neighbourhood.
She was a successful theatre actress who had been living in Trinidad for the past 20 years but still held UK citizenship.
Richards’ body was discovered by a friend who went to check after being unable to reach her since Tuesday evening. The woman arrived at the house and found the front gate closed. She called out to Richards several times after finding the front door ajar and stumbled upon the body as she searched the house for the elderly woman.
Shocked friends struggled to digest the news as they recalled the type of person Richards was.
One man said, “She was a beautiful lady, a warm person, engaging, thorough.”
“Living alone in this place, we felt she needed somebody in the house with her, but in a situation like this with people realising she lived alone…she may have been a soft target,” he added.
A guard employed by SWAT Estate Police said officers had carried out two daily patrols at 9 am and 11 am and would have swiped their security pass at Richards’ house during those patrols but were only notified around 12.30 pm of the discovery of her body.
One of Richards’ neighbours expressed concern for his family’s safety. He said although they have an alarm system in place, CCTV cameras and three dogs, the incident would force him to look at additional security measures.
