Search on for Glenda

Newsday spoke with Sven Charles-Harris, one of Charles-Harris’ children, who said the search yielded no results. However, he added that persons will not give up their search for her. The family had been combing the area since Tuesday expanding their search until the entire area is covered.

On Monday at 8 am, Harris left her home on Hillock Road, Blue Range in Diego Martin and has not been seen or heard from since. Police officers, as well as relatives, friends and co-workers are using every resource possible — including air searches, camera footage and telephone records — to find the founder and head of the Environmental Studies at the College of Science, Technology and Applied Arts of Trinidad and Tobago (COSTAATT). Earlier yesterday, there were reports which said Harris was found at San Fernando General Hospital. Relatives checked the hospital, but officials told them that no one by her description or name had been admitted. The report was soon debunked by relatives.

Charles-Harris’ car, a Nissan Almera, registration PBZ 9717 was found in a teak field in the Princes Town area on Monday with several of her documents including her bank card, intact. However, her immobiliser as well as the mat from the trunk was missing from her car.

Police sources told Newsday that they were reviewing the phone records to ascertain who were the last persons to talk to her and trying to make contact with those persons. She lived alone in Blue Range, Diego Martin and had never reported any threat to her life, however they are of the view that she may have been car jacked and may have been kept as a kidnap victim.

Relatives have described her as an outgoing, yet formal woman. They dismissed the theory that she probably may have wandered off, as she has not been known to have ever done so. She was also described as an active and healthy elderly woman.

Officers of the Western Division said they remained clueless as to why she had been carjacked and kidnapped, but they said they are hoping to make a breakthrough soon.

Officers of the Anti-Kidnapping Unit and the Southern Division with the hope of locating her also interviewed several of Charles-Harris’ colleagues with the hope of getting key information.

Investigators have ruled out robbery as a motive as car keys, her bank card and other important documents were still in the vehicle. At about 11 am yesterday, a party of officers led by Insp Gajadhar, Sgt Ramlogan and including members of the CID, Southern Division Task Force, St Mary’s Police Post and Princes Town Police Station gathered in front the teak field to begin combing the area. They were assisted in the air by a helicopter. They came up empty handed.

Newsday visited the area yesterday as the officers were about to go into the teak field.

A senior officer told Newsday: “We have widened our search and right now we are checking all leads — we will continue tomorrow.”

Relatives say Charles-Harris is on medication for diabetes and high-blood pressure and was last seen wearing a white pants and floral top at the time of her disappearance.

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"Search on for Glenda"

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