Body dumped in caiman infested pond

CARLOS PHILLIP, a Diego Martin father of two was abducted, stripped naked, hog tied, his mouth stuffed, his throat slit and his body dumped in a caiman infested pond at Pokher Road, Longdenville. His murder is the 222nd for the year with five more days remaining for the end of 2003. Last year for the same period 172 persons were murdered. The discovery of the body was made Christmas Day by a Longdenville villager, who alerted another villager. Officers of the Chaguanas Police Station led by ASP John Millette, Inspector Burt Raphael, Sgt Dennis Housend, Ag Sgts Ajith Persad, and Ramlogan were alerted, and as a result, visited the scene along with District Medical Officer, Ray Choudary. Phillip, 37, left his La Puerta, Diego Martin home on Tuesday telling his wife Lisa Stoute Phillip, 38, an employee of Royal Bank that he would return home around 8.30 pm to assist her with fixing up the house for Christmas. The courier with National Helicopter Services reportedly went to a party hosted by a brokerage firm. He was seen liming and having a good time at the party.

His friends claimed that they saw Phillip leave in his B-14 Sentra motorcar. Phillip reportedly used his cell phone around 9.15 pm on Tuesday to telephone his wife, Lisa, telling her that he was at Medford on the Flyover, Chaguanas, and was on his way home. That was the last time his wife heard from him. When Phillip failed to return home on Wednesday, Gerald Charles, the father-in law of  Phillip lodged a report at the Four Roads Police Station that Phillip was missing. Officers of the Anti-Kidnapping Squad were also contacted. Pilots of the National Helicopter Services made aerial searches for the car belonging to Phillip, and on Christmas Day they went to the pond where they identified the body. The nude corpse was fished out of the caiman infested pond by two undertakers and viewed by DMO Chaudary. Officers of the Crime Scenes Unit, Homicide and the CID collected clues from the scene of the murder. Philip is believed to have been killed on Tuesday night. Police officers described the killing as brutal, and feel that the victim may have been tortured before he was killed. Up until yesterday, his car was not found by the police. At the Port-of-Spain Mortuary, the grieving wife of Phillip told Newsday that her husband was described as a “saltfish” by those who knew him. She also described him as a loving father and a wonderful and devoted husband. She made it clear that her husband was not involved in drugs, or was unfaithful to her.

The shocked woman pointed out that she was involved with her husband for 19 years and they produced two wonderful children, a daughter who is now nine, and a son who is three and a half years old. She said that her husband was loved by those who knew him and when he celebrated his 37th birthday on November 9, it was a grand affair which was attended by his close friends and relatives. She said that he was always hugging and kissing his mother and children and loved to entertain friends. She described his death as a shock, and expressed anger at the manner in which her husband was killed. At the Port-of-Spain Mortuary, she was able to identify the body of her husband. She was at a loss as to why her husband was killed in the first place. Yesterday, Inspector Raphael, Sgt Housend and Ag Sgt Persad and PC Jitendra Toolaram revisted the scene where the body was found and interviewed several Longdenville villagers. Investigators learned that Phillip limed at Island Club Cassino. A post mortem is carded for Monday.