US citizen stabbed 8 times

A bloodstained kitchen knife, believed to be the murder weapon, is in the hands of investigators.

Matthews’ two daughters and two sons arrived in the country yesterday to take possession of her body and make funeral arrangements. Sources said that agents from the United States will arrive in this country to take an active role in investigations.

Pieces of evidence, taken from the crime scene, will be sent to the US’ Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) forensic labs for assessment. Sources said that key information is already in the hands of local police investigators and the probe is now at a sensitive stage. Sources said that investigators remain confident that arrests will be made soon.

Matthews, who lived alone, was found dead in her Arima home on the weekend. The house was ransacked, suggesting that robbery may have been the motive behind her murder. For the year, there have been 52 murders with 17 occurring in Northern Division.

Contacted for comment, Matthews’ relative, former Director of the National Operations Centre (NOC) Garvin Heera said Matthews posed no danger to anyone and her brutal and callous murder was a reflection of how deeply Trinidad and Tobago has sunk into lawlessness, disrespect and gross hatred for human life.

“Crime is definitely out of control and citizens, especially law-abiding ones, are no longer living in fear of just being robbed, they are living in fear of being murdered. No one knows who will be next,” Heera said.