Missing St Dominic’s Girls found

They have since been sent to the St Jude’s Home and were handed over to Matron Elizabeth Thomas, police reported yesterday.

A third girl was found in Belmont and another in the Sangre Grande area.

They have all since been sent to the St Jude’s Home.

According to reports, a party of officers acting on an anonymous tip visited a house in Phase 5 Beetham Gardens at around 11.45 pm on Saturday night when upon entering they saw the two girls asleep on a bed.

The children when awoken by the officers identified themselves as Niana Farrell, 14 and Nicole Farrell, 16.

The two were among four who were reported missing from the St Dominic’s Home in Belmont last week.

The girls were taken to the Port of Spain General Hospital for medical examination and according to police reports, a man from the Beetham area was taken into custody for questioning.

Police said while being interviewed, the two found at the house in Beetham gave them the location of the other two missing teenagers who were eventually found and also taken for medical examination.

The four missing girls were identified by police as 16-year-old Angel Farrel, 15-year-old Niana Farrel, 15-year-old Parbatie Ragbir and 16-year-old Sumintra Jaikaran.

The teenagers were last seen in Belmont, around 11:30 am on Wednesday last.

They were reported missing to the Belmont Police Station around 4 pm on that same day, by Crystal Hospedales, an employee of the St Dominic’s Children home.

In a statement yesterday, Sr Arlene Greenidge, manager of the St Dominic’s Home, said they were relieved that all the girls were found. She said the girls did not run away because they were victims at the Home but chose to do so as an act of rebellion. She also noted that the day before they went missing, a cellphone was taken from one of the girls.

She also insisted that they were neither assisted or aided by staff in their escape and their caregivers were still trying to understand why they would make the ‘reckless choice’ of running away.

Sr Arlene said their action came at a time when they were closer to being reunified with their families at the end of the school term in July and two of the girls were awaiting SE A results while another was expected to graduate from a hairdressing couse which she began one year ago.

“Even as we give thanks to God for the safe return of the girls we are mindful that there is much that must now be addressed,” Sr Arlene said, as they also thaked the police for their prompt action in locating the girls.