As T&T's murder rate continues to soar, Mayaro police made the gruesome find of two severely burnt bodies after a fire yesterday morning.
According to a report, police and firefighters found two bodies among the rubble, after putting out a fire at a wooden and galvanised house at Stone Bright Road, Indian Bay in the early hours.
Police said the burns were so bad that the men could not be positively identified. However, information suggests that they might be the remains of Terrence Ramoutar, 39 and Henry "Finbar" Joseph, 41, both of Rio Claro. Neighbours said Ramoutar, who had a young child, recently moved into the house.
Region II Homicide Bureau detectives led by Sgt Larry Lodhar visited the scene and interviewed witnesses who said they heard screams before looking out to see three men with headlights walking through some bushes. However, they thought at the time that they were hunters. An eyewitness said he saw a cutlass wielding man chopping down the door to the house and later saw one of the victim run onto the road. However, the assailant followed and dragged the man back to the house and set it on fire. Because the area has no street lighting, the suspects could not be seen.
Blood was also found on the road leading up to the house and investigators believe the men had been chopped before the house was set on fire. A search was made around the area for the three men but patrols didn't find them.
While no motive was given for the killings, police said they suspect a drug connection. However, a neighbour said a close friend of Ramoutar moved out the village on Thursday morning, leaving letter behind saying that she will never return.
The bodies were taken to the Forensic Science Centre where an autopsy is expected to be done once they were positively identified. Speaking yesterday, a relative of Henry said DNA samples will have to be taken from family members to confirm the men's identities.
He said both victims were friends and always hung out together, but he did not know why they were killed.