HOW DID SHANNON DIE?

Newsday was told that in addition to a second autopsy being ordered - to be done either by Dr Valery Alexandrov or Dr Eslyn McDonald Burris - swabs and tissue samples taken from Banfield’s body, will be examined in minute detail to try and get answers on Banfield’s death. The second autopsy could take place as early as today.

Banfield left her workplace, Republic Bank’s Independence Square branch last Monday to shop at Pennywise and IAM & Co Ltd before boarding a taxi to be taken to her Santa Cruz home. She never made it home. On Thursday, her bloated, decomposing body was found on a shelf in a store-room on the third floor of IAM & Co Ltd’s Charlotte Street outlet. Cardboard boxes were used to conceal her body. A security guard discovered the body after deciding to check the source of a foul stench, which at first was thought to be a dead rat.

Two male suspects, from El Socorro and San Juan, yesterday remained in custody at different police stations as they continue to assist police in their investigations.

One of the men was visited by an attorney and sources revealed that both have refused to co-operate with police thus far. Two other persons - a man and woman - who are employees of IAM & Co who were detained Thursday night, have since been freed after being questioned at length.

Newsday was told that police have evidence of the time that Banfield entered the store and who she was last seen with. Police also have in their possession camera footage that could prove useful to the investigation.

Yesterday afternoon, homicide investigators returned to the crime scene to re-interview several persons.

Officers of the Cyber Crime Unit are also assisting in the investigation as police continue to search for Banfield’s cellular phone which is missing. The homes of the two detained suspects were searched.

News of the discovery of Banfield’s body rocked the country resulting in hundreds of people taking to social media to vent their feelings of anger, outrage and fear at the worsening crime situation plaguing this country.

The owner of IAM & Co Ltd, Ishmael Ali, said yesterday that police investigators came to his businessplace on Tuesday and requested camera footage. He clarified claims that he refused to cooperate with police.

Ali said that when officers visited IAM & Co Ltd on Tuesday and requested CCTV footage, the supevisor asked the men (who were in plainclothes) to show proper forms of ID to prove they were indeed police officers.

Ali said the supervisor also said that a call would have to be made to his (Ali) son who is the one who has the password to access a computer that stores the CCTV footage recorded by cameras. Ali said the officers left without showing their Police Service ID.

However, a release issued last evening by the TT Police Service (TTPS) stated that officers acted swiftly and followed strict protocol with respect to the investigation into the disappearance of Banfield.

The release, issued by Ellen Lewis - Head TTPS Corporate Communications -stated that a request made to IAM & Co, to access CCTV footage on three separate occasions, was not readily forthcoming.

“Police investigators visited the business establishment over the course of the three days since Ms Banfield was reported missing by her mother, Ester Sherry- Anne Lopez, to the Santa Cruz Police Station, at 12.15 am on Tuesday 6th December, 2016. All the other business establishments, in the area where Ms Banfield was last known to have been, including Pennywise, were approached for access to their CCTV footage and this was immediately forthcoming.

“The Anti-Kidnapping Unit and the Criminal Investigations Department actively pursued the disappearance of Ms Banfield as they sought to have her safely return home.

Photographs of Ms Banfield were circulated early Tuesday morning and were later that day broadcast on outdoor billboard screens, released to the media and on social media,” the release stated.