Mom of 19 in grief as 23-year-old son drowns

A hiking expedition to the scenic Paria Waterfall in Blanchisseuse, turned into a nightmare on Saturday when 23-year-old UWI student,  Jahala Duprey, who was part of a team of 28 hikers, drowned while swimming in the deep waters surrounding the waterfall. Duprey’s mother, Heather Long, a mother of 19, was in shock at her Belmont home yesterday and said that she was hoping it was a bad dream. She said the last time she saw her son was last Sunday, when he visited her to spend the day. She said that it was normal for her son to spend every Sunday with her and she looked forward to preparing his favourite meal of chicken and macaroni pie. Yesterday, the grieving woman sat at the entrance of her home still staring at the roadway looking out for him. “I can’t believe that my child is dead,” said Long.

She added that when she was contacted by the Blanchisseuse police, she went numb and said she hoped it was someone else who had drowned. As she stared at a picture of her son, Long was unable to hold back the tears. She described her son as a quiet, church-going, reserved but intelligent person with a bright future. Duprey, an audit clerk at M&D Enterprises of Macoya Road, Tunapuna, and  also a UWI student in Additional Maths, left his St Augustine home on Saturday with the intention of having a good time and returning home safely. Police reports said that around 3 pm, Duprey was bathing at the mouth of the Paria River, when he began struggling to stay afloat. Other bathers tried to assist but Duprey went under and never surfaced. Experienced swimmers from the hiking team then tried to retrieve his body, but to no avail.

Officers of the Blanchisseuse Police Station were alerted and they contacted the Coast Guard who carried out a search for the body on Saturday, but they were hampered by the darkness. Early yesterday, the search continued and finally at around 12.15 pm, the body was fished out of the river. It was found stuck between two rocks in water over 30-feet deep by three coast guard divers. The body was airlifted out of the area and viewed by District Medical Officer, Dr Mohammed, who ordered its removal to the Forensic Science Centre.

Ag ASP Yearwood, Sgt Lashley, Cpl Deverteuil, and PCs Thomas and Caribob visited the scene and interviewed several witnesses. An autopsy will be carried out on the body today. Friends of the dead man said that on Saturday they walked seven miles from Spring Bridge, Blanchisseuse, to the Paria Waterfall where they had planned to spend the day. They said that Duprey was excited about the hike and had planned to enjoy himself. Some members of the hiking group, traumatised by the drowning, left the scene on Saturday and made their way out of the area. Others remained and waited for the body to resurface. Funeral arrangements are yet to be finalised.