The family of little Sephra Sankar was still trying to come to terms with her death yesterday, hours after she drowned in the family's pool.
Undetected by her mother, Sephra, a year-and-four-month-old toddler, also known as "Scoochie," ventured into the yard and fell into the pool on Monday evening and drowned. She was taken to the Chaguanas Health Facility but was pronounced dead on arrival.
Police said between 1.45 pm and 2 pm, Sephra went missing from inside her Las Lomas home and when her mother, Freeda Cruickshank, went looking she found her floating in the pool.
Acting Cpl Gopaul, PC Phillips and a party of officers visited the scene and the child's body was taken to the San Fernando Mortuary for an autopsy.
Yesterday when T&T Guardian visited the family's home at Solomon Drive, foreigners who spoke Spanish were bathing in the pool.
Relatives and other members of the family had tents set up for the wake and were power washing the yard in preparation for visitors.
In a brief interview, the child's father, Ricky Sankar, a businessman, said he never let Sephra go outside by herself. Sankar said he received a call that afternoon from the baby's mother that she had gone missing.
"I went to pick up my other son from school and she called me and told me that she was not seeing the child and the doors were locked. I told her to go outside and check," he said.
Sankar said he was not at home at the time and when he called Cruickshank back she did not return his calls.
"When I came home I saw the child on the ground and the neighbour telling her how to perform CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation)," he said.
He said the pool, which is called El Grande, was used for entertainment purposes in the past and rented out for small parties.
"We never used to take her outside alone. Always when we were there we used to take her outside. We have lifeguards here when we have parties. The court wants it like that," he said.
He said baby Sephra had only just started walking and saying one or two words.
"She loved her father and she was a very loving baby and always wanted me to lift her up and go with me everywhere I go," he said.
Sankar said up to late yesterday, he did not have any conversations with his common-law wife concerning the toddler's death.
"I don't know how to start that," he said. He said the funeral would be tomorrow.
When Cruickshank returned from the autopsy she did not want to comment on Sephra's death.
Investigations are ongoing.