Steven was killed like an animal

Boodoo, of John Street, Montrose, Chaguanas, was reported missing on January 30, and his body was found hanging from a tree by hikers in the Blanchisseuse forests on Saturday.

Hazra Boodoo, 79, said there was no other reason anyone would want to kill her grandson.

“Why is it that some people are so anxious to take other people’s things? Steven was such a nice boy. I mind that child from a baby. People tell me that they never heard me, not for one day, shout at that child,” Boodoo said.

Hikers on Saturday came upon a white body bag hanging from a tree over a precipice and immediately called the police.

When the body bag was opened, it was discovered that Boodoo’s feet were bound and a rope was tied around his neck.

Boodoo recently returned to Trinidad after living for several months in the Bahamas with his father, Andy, and other relatives. He was once a clerk at Republic Bank, his grandmother, a retired teacher, said.

She recalled that her grandson, at a tender age, survived a tragic vehicular accident in which his mother, Carmela Mokool, 25, was killed.

“When he left home Sunday morning, he said he was going out. I asked what he had in his bag and he said he had his birth certificate. I asked why he did not go with his new car and he said he would get trouble for parking,” the elder Boodoo added.

Boodoo’s aunt, Sharon Fouche, who lives in the United States, said her nephew lived with her briefly in Miami but loved Trinidad so much he decided to return home.

“Steven lived in Trinidad because he loved his island. On Monday, I think, he took a taxi to Port of Spain to see an attorney in regards to his Chaguanas property. Steven was happy about the prospect of training to work on a cruise ship. He was excited to be back in Trinidad,” Fouche said. She said Steven was killed like an animal.

In a post to her Facebook page, she wrote that Steven was never engaged in drinking or smoking or wild partying or anything that could have put him with the “wrong crowd”.

“I know that bad things happen because of the world we live in. But I know that we serve a compassionate God who advocates for the powerless and defenseless – and who fights for justice – and who arms us with strength to do the same.” An autopsy is expected to be performed today at the Forensic Science Centre to determine the cause of death. Investigations are continuing.