The parents of a missing 12-year-old girl, who went missing on Boxing Day last year, still believe she is alive and are pleading for help to reunite with their daughter.Police detained a man last week in connection with their investigations but released him shortly after when they realised they arrested the wrong man.The arrest may have stemmed from a case of mistaken identity, police said.
Wayne Peters, father of missing Jade Peters, said he believed the suspect had taken his daughter away.The T&T Guardian visited the family's Dow Village, California, home on Friday and spoke to the child's mother, Pearl Narine, who says despite the false lead and the period of time her daughter has been gone, she believes she is still alive.Jade went missing after leaving her home to buy a phone card at a parlour a short distance away.
"It's a mother's intuition. I know in my heart she is still alive and one day she will come home to us," said Narine."We believe the police had arrested the man responsible for her disappearance only to be find out it was someone else with the same name."Narine said she and her husband now believe the man who has Jade gave them a wrong name.
"We know him by that name but when we saw the picture it was not the same person and the police said the other man who was with him has 25 other names so it could be a wrong name he give us too."Narine said her other daughters, aged 15 and 17, had to be sent to a safe house after Jade went missing.The family plans to leave Dow Village for good once their youngest is returned home safely. Today marks 28 days the child has been gone.
"We living here 21 years now but we don't feel safe or comfortable anymore. I will wait here until she comes home, if she escapes, this is the home she knows to come back to," said Narine."But as soon as she comes home, we will leave this place."Asked about the rumours that the man who took Jade lived in the household, Narine denied the claims, stating she did everything she could to prevent her daughters from going down the wrong path in life.
"I left my job in July 2014 to make sure I was home to take care of them, to make sure they go to school after we found out my oldest daughter's boyfriend had friends who used to come here and lime."My husband stopped them from coming here and we made a police report but it looks like they still kept in contact with them (the girls)."Narine said she did not believe her daughter left home willingly and admitted as the days go by she has had to examine her worst fear.
"Jade would not go for so long and don't call her sisters or her father. She wouldn't do that. My worst fear is that they do something to my child, that she somewhere hurting," she said.She is appealing to the man who took Jade to return her to her family."She is still a baby, bring her back please, we will do anything, just drop her where she could come home or where the police could find her. Please have some mercy and bring my baby back," Narine pleaded.
Anyone with information on the whereabouts of Jade is asked to contact the nearest police station.