Reena Charles Ragoonath, who was murdered in Kelly Village on Sunday night, was laid to rest yesterday, hours after her alleged attacker was found dead by apparent suicide.
Friends and family gathered at her Ragoonath Street, Kelly Village home to pay their last respects.
Her cousin Nicole Dookie, who read her eulogy, remembered her as an angel who impacted the lives of everyone she met.
“Reena was not just a mother to Jeremiah but to many of us... Ramrajie, who lived with her and Andrea, just to name a few. She had a heart that was bigger than the size of this entire universe and it was only filled with love,” Dookie told mourners.
Dookie said the family was hurt by her loss.
“I know we are also angry because she never deserved to die the way she did,” she said.
“But being the individual she was, I’m sure she would not want to see us this way. Let us close our eyes for a moment and imagine she was standing here with her radiant smile saying something to make us laugh.”
Rev Vincent Richards, one of the pastors who officiated the funeral, also said a prayer for the entire community of Kelly Village, which has seen a spate of murders in recent weeks.
Ragoonath, 43, was later buried at the Washington Cemetery in Ibis Gardens, Caroni.
According to reports, Ragoonath’s 15-year-old son returned home from playing football and found her on the bedroom floor. She was last seen alive around 5 pm last Sunday in the company of a close male relative.
The relative remained on the run until Thursday, when he was found dead in a room at V’s Hotel in San Fernando. According to police, he had checked into the hotel around noon on Wednesday. Hotel staff later went to check on him but there was no answer. They used a spare key to get into the room where they found a man they’ve identified as Patrick Budd, 42, lying on the bed. Police said there was a white bottle on the table with what appeared to be a poisonous substance. Police also seized a Lucozade bottle and a Blue Waters bottle.
