Chief Secretary Farley Augustine yesterday expressed shock over the disappearance of toddler Angelo Tobias, saying the nation must do more to protect children.
Speaking at the post-Executive Council media briefing in Scarborough, however, Augustine placed the onus firmly on Angelo’s relatives, saying the first safety net should be the family.
“How do we protect our children? They are extremely vulnerable. Are we doing what is necessary in terms of reporting people who are abusing our children or are we keeping it secret?” he asked.
Augustine said there are many other Angelos who have been lost under suspicious circumstances.
“A lot remains unclear. A lot remains unknown to us. There are certainly more questions than answers, but this reminds us of the duty of care we have to our children.”
He said this task does not fall solely on the State.
“We all have a duty of care and we must be reminded of that. It takes a village to raise a child, but the village must also protect the child.”
Augustine, who has a three-year-old daughter, said he was baffled by the situation.
“I couldn’t help but ask a series of questions about how can your three-year-old go missing — how can you not account for them? Where would a three-year-old be? Is this child alone and afraid somewhere?”
He said whatever Angelo went through would have been terrifying.
“This is a child at two years old, the communication is not ideal with speech that is still forming. I thought of all those things.”
Meanwhile, Tobago police are now questioning Goodwood villagers as their investigation intensifies into the disappearance.
The toddler was last seen by his mother Kalifa Tobias and boyfriend Shannon Miller on Monday night at their seaside home. He was reported missing around 7.30 pm, triggering a massive search involving various state agencies, a private marine company, concerned villagers and other volunteers.
Homeland Security Minister Roger Alexander revealed in Parliament on Wednesday that the Homicide Bureau and Child Protection Unit was also involved in the investigation.
Asked yesterday about concerns over the supervision of the child on the night of his disappearance, Snr Supt Rodhill Kirk told Guardian Media, “There are things I would not put in the public space. This is in an investigative stage, it is not prudent to just disclose everything to the public at this time... I can’t say that or confirm that, but the police are speaking with people in the village in terms of gathering information and statements from potential persons who would have interacted with the child.”
Kirk said the main priority of the police is to bring some closure to the matter.
He said, “A lot of effort is being put into it and we are hoping that at least we could recover that child’s body wherever it is, whether it is on land or on sea. That is what we are focused on right now.”
The search efforts were boosted yesterday with the support of the Hunters’ Search and Rescue Team, who arrived in Tobago on Wednesday night. The hunters took charge of the ground operations, which were conducted on Wednesday by the Defence Force.
Captain Vallence Rambharat told the media a five-man team came from Trinidad and were joined by one of their Tobago counterparts.
“He is our guide. He is our expert on the currents around. We’re so thankful for his presence in Tobago right now.”
He said the hunters were briefed by the Tobago Emergency Management Agency (TEMA) at 6.30 am and then deployed to scour the coastline in the morning. He estimated the team covered three kilometres in the morning session before returning to the command site in Goodwood around midday. They were observed joining police in the afternoon for a search in the area close to Angelo’s home.
A concerned villager told Guardian Media yesterday that the people of Goodwood are desperate for closure. She said each day Angelo remains missing brings more questions surrounding his disappearance.
