Bag of bones found in Diego could be missing schoolgirl

A bag of bones found in dirt dug up during the extension process of the Diego Martin Highway, could be the remains of Marina Henry, the nine-year-old who disappeared on Christmas morning 1998. A forensic pathologist has confirmed that the bones were of a human child. The girl lived with her mother Elizabeth Henry at Gokool Street, Diego Martin, near to the northern end of the construction at the Wendy Fitzwilliam Boulevard, Diamond Vale. Marina left her house on Christmas around 10 am to buy eggs at a nearby grocery and has not been seen or heard of since that time.

Police and Coast Guard divers conducted searches all over the area but found only pieces of her clothing. The site where the bones were found had been searched at the time. The dug-up earth from the highway construction was removed last Friday by a backhoe driver who loaded it onto a truck to deliver it to Eligon Avenue, Diego Martin, where a house was recently built by Pastor Christopher John. A plumber, Gunness Singh working on the house saw the crocus bag sticking out of the dirt and when he checked he saw bones inside the bag. He alerted the West End Police who visited the scene with the District Medical Officer Dr Mootoo. The bones were ordered removed to the Forensic Science Centre. Yesterday, the forensic pathologist confirmed for the police that the bones were human and of a child. They could not determine the sex, until further tests were done.

For a long time, the child’s mother Elizabeth made a sterling appeal for information on the whereabouts of Marina. Eventually, she left Trinidad and now lives in Tobago. Efforts to contact her yesterday failed. The highway extension stretches from the Sierra Leone Road to the Wendy Fitzwilliam Boulevard. Police officers told Newsday that they are not ruling out the possibility that the bones may be that of Henry since the area of the Diego Martin Highway where the dirt was dug up was searched six years ago to no avail. Police believe that the body of Henry was buried in a shallow grave and was only discovered due to the construction of the new highway. When Newsday visited the home where Marina Henry lived, it was occupied by another family.