Uncle bats for kidnapped cricketer

Relatives and friends of the family are praying and hoping for his safe return home.

Raymond-Guillen lives in Barbados and was on scholarship as a batsman at the Pickwick Club. He returned on a brief visit to Trinidad to see his parents when he was kidnapped.

"Justin was a good batsman and one day would probably be on the West Indies team," Maurice told Newsday.

The Guillen family has a history of good cricketers. Justin played on the under-19 cricket team. His uncle, Simpson, was a wicketkeeper for the West Indies and currently lives in New Zealand. His grandfather, Noel, who is now deceased, opened for the West Indies team playing alongside Jeffrey Stollmeyer. Noel’s plaque is at the cricket Hall of Fame at the Queen’s Park Oval.

The family has not paid the US$2 million ransom demand which was made last Thursday. The kidnappers provided the family with proof of life on Friday by asking Justin a question with regards to a prior cricket match.

Maurice said Justin is a humble person and the family is shocked by the abduction.

"He was a good boy. He went to QRC and was loved by everyone," he stated.

According to police reports, the young cricketer was about to get into his car, which was parked in front of his home, at 9:15 pm Wednesday, when a car approached. He had an altercation with a man who then forced him into the vehicle and sped away.

He was about to leave home to go to Trotters Restaurant at Maraval Road, where he was to meet his father Jeffrey to watch the World Cup qualifying match between Trinidad and Tobago and Costa Rica.

Anti-Kidnapping Squad Officers revealed that the police are following several leads in the kidnapping.

Several homes in the Carenage community were searched last Friday in efforts to find the cricketer.