‘When he drinks, he becomes a monster’

A relative said that for years he and others had warned the suspect about his drinking problem and begged him to seek help. “He would not listen to us.

He is a very nice person but as soon as he takes one drink, he turns beast. He becomes abusive and curses you...he becomes violent. It is like the Devil himself. He becomes an entirely different person,” the relative said.

The suspect’s father, during an interview on Thursday, said: “I was not there to see what happened to this young woman when she left in company with my son, but I know my son’s habits and I know his behaviour when he drinks. I saw him drinking that day,” the man said. He added that from age 17, his son began to abuse alcohol.

On the day Simms was last seen alive (last Saturday) the suspect brought Simms to his home and introduced her to his relatives.

“People are looking at us, giving us bad eye, but we are not criminals, we have nothing to do with this young lady’s death.

I saw her, she seemed like a really nice girl. When she was leaving, she was smiling and waved and said goodbye to all of us,” the suspect’s father said.

The man said it hurts when he considers what Simms’ family are going through right now.

On Wednesday, Simms’ decomposing body was found in a shallow grave in Santa Flora.

An autopsy done Thursday proved inconclusive as decomposition was so advanced, the pathologist could not identify a specific cause of death.

Tissue samples were taken from Simms’ body for tests in an effort to ascertain cause of death.

Funeral arrangements are ongoing. Simms left her Rampersad Trace, Rochard Road, Penal home last Saturday to meet with a man who promised to help her find a job.