Sunday Newsday understands one of the two suspects detained following the discovery of Banfield’s body, on Thursday, had unexplained scratches about his body indicating to investigators Banfield may have tried to defend herself before she died.

Sources also said pathologist Dr Hughvon des Vignes also found broken skin under her fingernails in his first autopsy on Friday, but had deemed his findings inconclusive.

A second autopsy is expected to be done, as well as DNA tests of the broken skin and on other swabs taken from her body and the crime scene.

The clothing of the suspects, who are in their 20s and 30s, may also prove useful to the investigation, sources said.

The Director of Public of Prosecutions is expected to be approached today for further directions in the case.

Banfield was reported missing by her family last Monday, after her last call to her mother indicated she was on her way to their Santa Cruz home having done some shopping at Pennywise and the IAM store.

It is believed Banfield asked to use the bathroom of the store where he body was found hidden under cardboard boxes three days later.

The online store boasts jewellery that bears sentiments such as love, appreciation and congratulations, condolences, and friendship. Aptly, the store’s mantra is “Speak From The Heart”, a slogan Seema personally connects with through her belief of the symbolism, emotions, and timelessness specific pieces of jewellery can represent for individuals.

Describing herself as a “cog in the corporate wheel” for approximately two decades in sales and marketing roles, Seema’s last position was as Brand Trade Manager for a multinational company. In mid- 2015, she was retrenched as part of a regional costcutting exercise – an occurrence that was a pivotal point in her life.

“As fate would have it, I was now about to enter the Practicum stage of my EMBA. I was at that proverbial ‘fork in the road’,” Seema says of the academic events that surrounded this unsure time in her professional life. This fork in the road begged her to question her true desires: return to the corporate arena or take the time to complete her MBA.

Harping on the well-known inspirational quote “choose a job you love and you will never have to work a day in your life”, Seema was excited at the thought of leaving the “cold” corporate world behind.

“With this new resolve, I pushed forward and channeled all my energies into working on my Practicum Business Plan, entitled ‘Marketing the Emotion of Symbolic Jewellery’,” she says of the personal turn her academic pursuits took. She spent countless hours analysing and researching the jewelry market in TT and it was her final thesis that became the blueprint for Symbols Jewellery.

She sees jewelry as speaking its own language; physical pieces that can evoke emotions that connect persons to memories of a time, place, or persons. This belief comes from her own personal experiences with jewelry: “One of my most precious possessions is a pair of bera bangles passed down from my grandmother, to my mother, which she bestowed to me a few months before she passed away. Although the bera bangles have their own specific cultural meanings, they also symbolise the precious bond shared between my mother and me.” While many use jewelry as a means of bodily adornment, Seema says her portfolio at Symbols Jewellery – while decorative and aesthetically beautiful – delves deeper in terms of poignant connection, to one’s self as well as others.

Among the countless indigenous and cultural pieces offered at the online store is jewelry by “Made by Survivors”, an NGO dedicated to fighting slavery and other human rights violations in East India.

“Many of the pieces within the Made by Survivors portfolio eloquently speak to empowerment,” she says of the very symbolic ties the jewelry makes with its wearer. “These include ‘Inner Strength’- and ‘Resilience’-themed jewelry that all represent the struggles made by these survivors.” She continues that the ‘Inner Strength Necklace’ was inspired by flowering vines that grow around the Made by Survivors jewelry studio in Northern India. “The survivors describe themselves as ‘vines’, which grow back even stronger when cut.

They see themselves as becoming stronger from the things they have endured and the joy they feel from overcoming these obstacles. By wearing this necklace you are grounded in a connection, not only to the energy of the amazing survivor who crafted the piece, but you are also able to draw inner strength and confidence from within yourself in order to overcome life’s challenges,” she describes how the jewelry can empower and agitate women to forward action.

“I believe that we need to speak out more when we see injustice meted out to the women in our lives; we need to be our sisters’ keepers,” Seema says. She sees women as catalysts for change surrounding the oppressions handed out to them and thinks women – now, more than ever – are organising and starting movements to bring about these changes.

“It all [starts] with one thing, one person – not just hoping and wishing for change but actually doing something about it now.” Her store also showcases unique pieces of Tuareg jewelry from the Koumama tribe of the North Sahara, led by patriarch Elhadji Koumama. For over 25 years, the family has mastered and perfected the art of intricately handcrafted fine silver jewelry.

“The geometric designs all have significant symbolism and are often used as a protective talisman,” she expands on the symbolic significance of the Koumama tribe’s jewelry.

One of the collection’s pieces that deeply moves her is the Agadez cross, which represents the four corners of the world and is passed from father to son at puberty. “It is like a rite of passage, the bond shared between father and son that transcends both time and place.” While symbolsjewellery.co does not yet feature local artisans’ jewelry, Seema shares that there are “absolutely” plans to expand the lines both locally and regionally. “We are very open to showcasing locally and regionally made items at our store,” and she adds that she has already identified several potential local suppliers and will be working with them in the new year.

“That being said, we do feature local symbols within our portfolio [such as] the hummingbird and sand dollars.” As for her courageous decision to become a business owner after years in the corporate field, she says everything happens in its time. “It’s easy to sink into a comfort zone with the stability of a regular paycheck; honestly, I’m not sure I would have taken the plunge had it not been for the retrenchment,” she divulges of her courage to take the first step. She says the catalyst for change matters little; what matters is the realisation of the desire to build something of your own. Her advice to other women in similar unsure circumstances is to not be fearful. She still experiences moments of doubt in her business endeavor but the joy and fulfillment her symbolic work brings to her dispels any questions in her mind.

“It’s okay to have doubts [and] be nervous but once you are confident in what you do … just go for it!” She believes honing strengths and passions is an entrepreneur’s greatest weapon that will ensure a professional life that is in line with personal values.

Symbols Jewellery, while an online store, also hosts pop-up shop events where customers can physically interact with Seema’s offerings – a tradition that she understands is still hard to shake, even in our technologically advanced age.

Customers can receive information on Symbols’ pop-ups by becoming a member on the website. The website also highlights categories by occasion, recipient, collections, and jewelry type for ease of browsing and she reveals plans to expand the collection with more pieces that are made with men in mind.

She lets it be known that the goal of Symbols Jewellery is to help customers speak from the heart and each item purchased is accompanied by a story card explaining the symbolic meaning of the piece, ensuring the motif is not lost on its wearer.

“We encourage visitors to learn more about the symbols of the world [and] our blog features interesting articles about unique symbols and their histories and legends.” She believes compassion and knowledge can be gained through such education and appreciation and hopes this, even more so than the jewelry, can inspire her customers.

She finishes, “It is only through learning about the diversity of the carious cultures of the world that we can truly grow to respect, understand, and honour each other in the purest sense.”

“When Mummy cooked, I was always sent to the garden to pick fresh herbs. We grew up hearing that we should plant things that we can eat,” Nigel recollects. For himself, he chose to plant aromatics such as basil, varieties of mint, rosemary, and thyme.

One Saturday not long ago, Nigel had a craft project with his son. “We made teabags from coffee filters and had afternoon tea; that was the start of Twigs Naturals. After being part of Cariri’s Business Hatchery Programme where most of the product development was done, we moved to commercialisation about six months ago.”

Nigel is the CEO of Twigs Naturals (twigsnaturals.com), a company that has a range of local teas and seasonings, using “the oldest method of food preservation known to man”: dehydration. Having cultivated professional relationships with farmers in Paramin, Cascade, and Central Trinidad, Twigs Naturals’ supplies come straight from the source.

“We then wash and dry in our electric dehydrators,” Nigel explains of the process of making Twigs products, adding that this process ensures a uniform removal of moisture and intensifies the flavour of his dried concentrates. The only items in his product range that are not grown locally are his green tea and garlic offerings.

“Nature gave us everything that we need; Twigs Naturals just makes it convenient,” Nigel says of his company’s promise to its customers. Their ready-to-drink teabags and seasonings are sold in convenient re-sealable plastic-lined paper pouches that maintain freshness and all the products are packaged in environmentally friendly materials.

“For our Tea Stations, we provide compostable, biodegradable Vegware cups and covers made from recycled materials. The signage we use are made from reclaimed wood and hand painted by a local artisan and the baskets at our point of sale are handmade right here in TT from Vetivier grass,” he shares of the ways Twigs Naturals promotes sustainable living through their business practices.

He credits growing up with influences from Moruga for his appreciation of nature and natural remedies. “My grandmother, like most other grandmothers, would have a herbal remedy for every ailment. Unfortunately, not all had a good taste,” he recounts, making sure to highlight that Twigs Naturals presents flavour profiles that not only taste great but add to overall health and wellbeing. “We toss out the myth that something good for you should taste yucky.”

The brand does not use preservatives, fillers or salt in any of their products and the teas are not “flavoured” or powdered like other commercial counterparts; they contain actual pieces of leaves and organic material.

Among the many varieties of teas offered by Twigs Naturals, customers may choose from Lemongrass, Bamboo, Ginger, and Caribbean Citrine Tea (a unique blend of lemongrass and orange peel).

For Christmas 2016, Nigel shares they have unveiled their Caribbean Christmas Tea, a blend of Wild Hibiscus (sorrel) and Anise, a classic flavour profile many Trinis adore. Likewise, the brand’s line of seasonings is not made from powders but leaves and flakes, “just as you would use if you had your own kitchen garden and were preparing your favourite dish.”

While at its advent Twigs Naturals carried only teas, the company has evolved to providing a

range of seasonings including dried pimentos, garlic flakes, dried rosemary, lemongrass, and dried thyme. These offerings and the fact that over 90% of Twigs’ inventory is grown on home soil is what sets the company apart, Nigel says.

“We have a product for just about anybody’s palette. If you’re not a tea drinker, everyone loves a great tasting pot so our seasonings [are available] as well,” he comments on the accessibility of his products.

Also available are gift sets, which include a variety of teas or seasonings paired with other handmade local items such as ceramics and wooden kitchen utensils, keeping in the vein of the brand’s natural and local products.

“Our products are all based on local favourites that we as a people already know and love; there is no better place to source them than right here so we can proudly place the red, white, and black on our packaging: ‘Product of Trinidad and Tobago’,” he says of the pride he and the brand take in supporting and providing local goods that are of high quality and bene_ cial to overall health.

Growing up in the 80s, Nigel remembers Trinbagonians being more reliant on our homegrown food basket – a tradition that he laments has seen a waning in recent times.

“Young people need to see the value of agriculture, not only to our economy at large but as a viable and honourable means to earn a living,” he says of his hope for a return to such practices of living off our lands and having pride in local food production that can sustain our citizenry.

As for Twigs Naturals’ future, Nigel says there’s only expansion on his mind. He hopes to introduce more signature blends of both his tea and seasonings and is keeping a close eye on the demands and wishes of his clientele for other product ranges that are available here at home. He also shares his hopes that in the near future Twigs will be supplying its products to friends and family abroad for an authentic taste of the Caribbean.

“We strive to give our customers the flavour of going out into their own kitchen garden for ingredients to prepare their favourite cup of tea or dish,” he says of his brand’s ultimate goal; a way of connecting tradition with ease, natural products, and flavours that are timeless.

Twigs Naturals can be found on Facebook and Instagram.

“Who told you that?” I asked, to which he responded matter-offactly, “Nobody. I just figured it out. Do you want to know how?” A nod from me. “Remember last year when I asked him (Santa) for an Xbox and I didn’t get it? You said Santa couldn’t afford it because he has so many kids to give presents to. I just thought, if he has all this magic and gives all these presents, then he could easily give me an Xbox. I actually think YOU didn’t have the money to buy it THAT’S why I didn’t get it.” There was no disputing that fact.

A feeling of sadness fell over me. Because apart from Santa being one of my biggest bargaining tool when it came to convincing my son to do or not do certain things, the reality of what was happening hit me like a runaway sleigh – my little bo y is growing up. The same way I felt when he traded in Spider Man for the Avengers. I tell you, packing and giving away the web slinger paraphernalia felt like I was giving away pieces of my heart.

The feeling reared its head again when I was forbidden to kiss him or show any type of affection in public, and again when he chose the computer over cuddling with me. And I know come Christmas morning the feeling will linger on the periphery because the magical Santa experience will be a thing of the past.

Don’t get me wrong though, it’s not that I don’t want him to grow up. On the contrary. I feel a sense of elation and pride with every single of his accomplishments. His first day of school; birthdays; losing his teeth; his first time on a real stage performing at his music school concert (I bore my headache with pride). I want to live to see him enjoy his life to the fullest. To graduate at every academic level. To meet his first, second, third, fourth … girlfriend. To see him excel in the career of his choice.

To see his face when he meets his first baby.

I have lost count of how many times, whether jokingly or during some of our most heated arguments, I’ve said “I can’t wait until you’re a teenager and only come out of your room for food!” – so I can get a little time to myself. Or “You will understand when you’re old enough to get a job” – when I can’t afford one of his must haves. Or “So how many grandchildren are you going to give Mummy?” – when I’m feeling super sentimental about his babyhood.

The point is that as a parent you’ve nurtured this little person from conception, and sometimes the thought of them needing you less and less as they grow from infancy into childhood, adolescence into adulthood can be overwhelming. You wish you could protect them from hurt; sadness; danger; disappointment…

forever.

Counselling psychologist Dr Annette Joseph says this feeling is quite normal and advises parents to view parenting as an act of preparing their children for adulthood. “Preparation for adulthood begins from birth. At every stage you are training your child to be a good individual, and as a parent it brings a sense of joy when you see them fulfilling their destiny.” The feeling of dread that comes with the observation of growing-up changes doesn’t have to be so dreadful, she says, if you keep the lines of communication open – verbal and non verbal – and remain a relevant go-to person in the entire scheme of things.

“Have conversations with your children. Give them a voice. Allow them to talk. You may be the one to initiate those conversations but it allows them to look at you in a different light. As someone they can talk to about things, even personal things.” Dr Joseph identifies small pocket of opportunities that parents usually take for granted, but which, if used effectively, can wield power in gaining access into their children’s minds. “Having a meal together can make a big difference in the lives of children. It’s a good discussion time,” she opines. “And no matter how busy a parent is they should make time to play with children,” she adds.

“Every home should have a board game, be it Scrabble, Monopoly or whatever. Over play you sometimes see the real person come out.” And for parents who are spiritually inclined, she emphasises praying with their children. “You can’t leave out the spiritual.” Another way in which parents can be a part of the growing-up change is via family nights. “Ideally it should be at least once a week, but with people’s schedules these days, once per month could work. Whether you go out or stay at home and do something it doesn’t matter. The bottom line is that you will be bonding and building memories,” – memories that children will take with them through their various stages of life, and that parents can hold onto as they watch their babies soar.

I couldn’t help but notice, though, that with all his signs of growing up my offspring has not yet ascribed “myth” status to the Tooth Fairy. My guess is that he never will. And, why would he? Quick and easy cash a few times a year until all the baby teeth are gone, without having to be Nice.

By Carol Quash When kids no longer believe in Santa up too soon “Santa is a myth! So, what are YOU getting me for Christmas?” I was taken aback and it took me a few seconds to gather my thoughts before responding to my soon-to-be eight-year-old going on 20.

“Who told you that?” I asked, to which he responded matter-offactly, “Nobody. I just figured it out. Do you want to know how?” A nod from me. “Remember last year when I asked him (Santa) for an Xbox and I didn’t get it? You said Santa couldn’t afford it because he has so many kids to give presents to. I just thought, if he has all this magic and gives all these presents, then he could easily give me an Xbox. I actually think YOU didn’t have the money to buy it THAT’S why I didn’t get it.” 10

• Celery: Straight up and down so your shoulders, waist and hips look almost the same width when viewed from straight on.

Another form of describing people’s body types was created by William Herbert Sheldon, an American psychologist and physician, who classified people according to three types: • Ectomorph: Lean and slender build with slight muscular development.

• Mesomorph: Athletic/muscular body build.

• Endomorph: Heavy rounded body build with a tendency to become overweight.

That being the case it’s clear that genetically you can’t go from being a ruler to an hourglass or vice versa, it just won’t happen due to your genetics, build, your bone structure etc, but what you can do is sculpt parts of your body to give the illusion of being a different body shape.

Pomerac Pommerac shaped women are usually heavier on the bottom than on top and carry excess weight in their hips, thighs, and butt.

Typical trouble zones: Hips, thighs Solution: Lower-body focused, power moves, totalbody strength training, and endurance cardio.

Goal: To help even out a heavier lower half, you’ll want to create a stronger, more defined upper body to balance out your shape. This plan combines cardio and strength into one circuit workout designed to help you burn more calories (so long, saddlebags!) and develop metabolically active lean muscle mass at the same time.

Apple Apples are rounder in the middle and have a thicker waist, especially in comparison to their hips and shoulders.

Trouble zone: Mainly fat stored about the torso and waist line is not much less than her hip width.

Solution: This apple-specific plan should be a mix of fat-blasting cardio and waist-defining strength moves to deliver a one-two punch to stubborn belly bulge and trim down from the waist up. Perform high-rep weight training particularly with cardio intervals like skipping or jogging on the spot instead of resting between sets.

Coca Cola Trouble zones: Hips, leg and butt Solution: This body type is usually the most desired body shape so all I can say for this one is, keep your exercise program keep it balanced so you work your upper and lower body equally with strength training.

Include some core exercises such as the plank, side plank etc.

Celery stick Trouble zones: Everywhere and nowhere Solution: To add some attractive curves to your body type, you need to build some muscle everywhere. First of all, if you do plenty cardio…cut it down significantly, in frequency, intensity and duration. Concentrate on weight training, to stimulate new muscle gains and increase your strength, just as long as you progressively over load your system to promote adaptation.

Carrot shape With a shape like this the emphasis should be on strengthening your legs, trimming your midsection and upper body.

Trouble zones: Fat stored primarily above the waist in the upper arms, chest, back and midsection area. Legs noticeably don’t gain any weight.

Solution: Increase your cardio, lift heavier when training legs, lighter weights for upper-body workouts.

The goal is to add size and shape to your legs, reduce the waist line, lose fat from the back and arms as well.

Let me just say I’m not talking about detoxing in a hippie, commune, green juice kind of way. I’m not growing freeform dreads and burning herb and neither am I detaching from society. I’m just asking are there things having a negative impact on your life, your emotions or your health? Maybe it’s time for a detox. Getting away from the things that weigh you down, can give you the space to clear your mind and the opportunity to clear your head and make a sound decision. Detoxing is also about being mindful of what is beneficial for you and being equally honest about the things that are not. Have you read the ingredient list on skincare products lately? Have you read the labels on your food? Let’s be honest, these days it feels like we’re preserving ourselves like a Christmas ham, being constantly exposed to so many chemicals inside and out.

While I have been a skin person my whole life, I used what the magazines and experts recommended. I spent my teen years with a flawless and even complexion, then I hit my 20s and all hell broke loose. Well in my eyes it was like hell. I ended up at the dermatologist’s to calm things down. Then I moved to London and things got much worse than I’d ever seen. I was forced to learn the true power of concealer.

I bought everything I could think of to calm my skin and nothing worked.

Until I found a single product that had very few ingredients and it cleared not only my breakouts but restored my even complexion.

Unfortunately, this product is wildly expensive and I can’t even consider buying it while working for Trini dollars. I did learn something valuable though, less is more when it comes to skin. The cheaper the product, the more junk they cram into it and the more expensive it is, the less of the silly nasties are in there and more of the stuff that is actually good for you.

There are a few brands on the local market that I’m willing to use and of course I have to cut off my leg and arm and leave them at the store. I’m working on a way to be frugal yet detox from the harmful and frankly pretty unnecessary chemicals in everyday products.

Slowly my plans are taking shape and I’m seeing the benefits in my skin and in my wallet. I’ve decided to give up my very expensive body wash habit and now I make my own soap. Yup, I make my own soap. I make a batch that will last me about six months but then friends and family descend on it and let’s just say I’m up to making it every two months. It’s the new trend in the family: using only handmade soap. Another cousin of mine makes it too and her family is hooked as well. The next step for me? Handmade body butter and conditioner. This way I avoid all the parabens that disrupt hormones and sulphates that irritate my scalp and skin.

Just a few years ago, if you’d told me I’d be rocking my natural hair and making my own soap I’d have laughed you out of the room. But life happens and as people evolve and grow their priorities in life change. Try having a baby with skin that reacts to everything, it’ll get you thinking about changing your lifestyle really fast. After seeing my son suffer from eczema as an infant, the family all switched to simpler, less irritating skin care.

Then a few years ago, my best friend stopped using commercially made skin care products. Frankly I thought she was nuts but it seems to work. Now I’m almost there myself and my skin, hair and wallet are all in better shape.

I understand that food prepared for commercial sale must have a different formula than the things I’d make at home but sometimes I think manufacturers take things a bit too far. A loaf of bread for example. Maybe it’s not meant to stay fresh for a month on a grocery shelf and the preservatives that make this possible can’t be good for the human body. It’s not just about bread either, we all know that we should eat less processed and fast food. For the sake of our health let’s be more mindful of the things we eat daily. I’m not saying no snacks. I buy a particular premium brand of ice cream.

Ingredients? Milk and cream from grass fed cows, cane sugar, eggs, vanilla and whatever extra yummy add-ins to make my favourite flavour. The cheap stuff, for the same money you can get about three times as much ‘ice cream’. Ingredients? Corn syrup, soybean oil, xanthan gum, locust bean gum, artificial flavouring, powdered milk, artificial colouring and those are just the ones I can pronounce. How is that ice cream? Let’s take a detox from excessively processed food, the best part, it’s cheaper. For a frugal person like me it’s a big deal, and when I do buy “junk” food I buy high quality which guarantees I will eat less since I can’t afford to be a pig.

It’s easy to think about detoxing from food or harsh skincare but we don’t only consume bad things with our mouths or rub them on our skin. We devour bad TV, destructive music and take a swim in the vitriol online too. How about a detox from that as well? Or the toxic relationships we maintain with frenemies, negative family members and coworkers? Over my many years of working as a Social Worker I have counselled countless women in unhealthy and dysfunctional relationships, sometimes those recovering from the ending of a relationship as well and I realised as women sometimes we need a HE-TOX too. Take some alone time to sort yourself and your feelings and opinions about stuff without a significant other mansplaining why you should do what they think you should.

I think the point I’d like you to take away from this is it’s good to take a step back from things and to be mindful and conscious about the things we do and we eat and how we live our lives. Let’s all bring it down a notch and not just go with the flow or live reacting to everything.

Be deliberate in your decisions, clear your head and make up your mind, you’ll find you are calmer and more focused when you do. At the worst, it’ll get you in the mindset for those impending New Year’s Resolutions.

A Republic Bank employee, Banfield left her workplace at Independence Square last Monday to shop at Pennywise and IAM & Co Ltd but she never made it back to her Santa Cruz home. On Thursday, her decomposing body was found on a shelf in a store-room on the third floor of IAM & Co Ltd’s Charlotte Street outlet, covered with cardboard boxes.

Shenese, who worked at IAM on Charlotte Street, Port-of-Spain, went missing on January 24, 2015.

Her family said she left home to attend a job interview with a businessman as she was on three weeks vacation without pay. She too never returned home.

A week after her disappearance, a male passer-by found Shenese’s body along a trail off Macqueripe Road in Chaguaramas with her hands bound behind her back.

However, because of the advanced stage of decomposition, formal identification was done via dental records and her mother eventually identified the body in June of that year.

Speaking to Sunday Newsday at their Lopinot Road, Arouca home yesterday, Shenese’s parents, Sinatra and Paula Samuel said their hearts went out to Banfield’s parents as they knew exactly how the other family was feeling. They advised Banfield’s family to pray to God to help them through the ordeal, and said the Samuel family would be praying for them as well.

“By the time I saw that girl missing on Monday, I carried the (news)papers to my wife and told her, ‘You see this girl? The same way Shenese gone, this girl gone.

This looking as if it’s the same people that take her.’ I started to pray for the family one time. That mother would go down in her grave and never forget this,” said Sinatra.

Almost two years later, Sinatra said he does not sleep properly, he has difficulty concentrating at work, every day his family feels the pain and emptiness of Shenese’s loss, and now, the story of Banfield stirred up those feelings even more.

“She was too special. She was loving. Just different. Time could never heal that wound. Even though I buried a body, I still felt as if she was alive somewhere but with this (Banfield) now, it hit me that she’s really gone,” said Paula.

“To console ourselves a little bit, we tell ourselves that she was too precious for this earth and Jehovah took her back. Who could poor people like us depend on except God?” added Sinatra.

Paula stated that the only visit the family ever got from the police was the night after they reported her disappearance, and the family was not contacted when it was suspected that the body found on February 1, 2015 was Shenese’s.

Sinatra said that very day he found out about the body and went to see if it was his daughter. However, it was so badly decomposed that he was convinced that it could not have been her. And so they continued their own country-wide search for their daughter, even travelling to Tobago on several occasions, including acquiring Shenese’s cell phone records and giving the last number called and received to the Anti-Kidnapping Squad.

Paula said it was six months later, while watching the police talk show, Beyond The Tape, that the host stated that the relatives of Shenese needed to go to the Forensic Science Centre in St James because there was a body bearing resemblance to her. There, Paula identified her daughter by her hair and index finger which had been twice trapped in a car door.

Then, in July a 46-year-old Sangre Grande man was arrested in a police sting operation after he allegedly placed advertisements for models then raped them. The number the man was using was the number that Shenese had called for the interview.

However, since then, they had not heard anything about the investigation.

While reading the stories of Banfield’s murder, several similarities occurred to them. Both women were around the same age, both would call and update their family on their activities, they were both religious, upstanding women, and the IAM connection.

Paula admitted that her daughter’s disappearance and murder did not get the kind of attention as Banfield’s. Therefore, since no one ever visited the family to tell them what happened to their daughter, she hoped Banfield’s death would shine a light on Shenese’s case and possibly motivate the police to do more, and give both families justice for their daughters.

In an emailed release yesterday, Ali said in his 50 years of business he never experienced anything like Banfield’s death.

“I too wish that Shannon Banfield gets the justice that she deserves,” said Ali who offered, “deepest condolences to the family and friends of the deceased and will do everything to support them in their moment of grief.” Giving his account of the company’s role in the investigation, Ali said at about 1.30 pm on December 8 his son informed him that an employee found a dead body at the retail branch located at 39 and 41 Charlotte Street, Portof- Spain, at the back of the stock room.

The employee stumbled upon the body as he was searching for the cause of a bad odour.

Most members of staff believed the cause of the odour was a dead rat.

On being informed of the incident, Ali said he contacted the police, closed the store and asked all employees of the branch to remain.

Within 20 minutes, he said, Senior Superintendent of Police Boxill visited his head office at the Trincity Industrial Estate, where the main camera system is kept. He was unable to access the footage due to technical complications.

Boxill then informed him that the police would retrieve the CCTV footage from the Charlotte Street branch, the statement said.

Ali, in a subsequent call to Sunday Newsday, said a digital video recorder was handed over to the police.

In his email, Ali expressed disappointment that some media houses were “publishing false accusations against me and my company,” he said, “I have never said that I am in a hurry to re-open my Charlotte Street branch for Christmas.” His family, staff and himself, he said, were “truly grieved and regret this most unfortunate incident” and they are assisting the police with what is “necessary to catch the perpetrators of this horrid crime”.

Ali said the company requested all staff members cooperate fully with the police, advised the police of the status of the employees and provided them with copies of identification cards.

“I do whatever is necessary to ensure my staff and customers are safe as possible. I have a good relationship with all members of staff as their period of employment ranges from five years to 36 years. We have few members of staff who have been employed with the company for under five years,” he said.

Police investigators returned to the Charlotte Street store to further examine the crime scene.

Senior officers told Sunday Newsday they had received information about threats to burn down IAM & Company but added that close surveillance has been placed on the business-place.

It is co-workers, friends, neighbours, and relatives who committing these heinous acts.

“The perpetrators, the people who are coming in to steal, to hurt, to kill and destroy, they are not Martians… They live with us, they eat with us, they walk among us.

They are our brothers, our fathers, our uncles, our sons, our daughters, our sisters, our mother. They are the people right among us who are causing the hurt and pain,” she said.

Webster-Roy was speaking yesterday at the Trinidad and Tobago Prison Service’s distribution of care packages for offenders at the Women’s Prison in Golden Grove, Arouca, to commemorate International Human Rights Day as well as the end of the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender Violence, which started on International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women on November 25.

She assured female prisoners, those convicted and on remand, that they still had the rights of every other human being on the planet, including the right to be loved, respected, nurtured, valued, and cared for, regardless of the mistakes they made, or the reasons why they were in prison.

“I want to give you my commitment to do all in my power to ensure that I work with a government that works towards reducing the incidents of violence against women and the vulnerable in society,” she said. She acknowledged the work of the NGOs who “help to prop up society” and bring about needed changes when government lapsed.

Webster-Roy also pointed out that some men had approached her to say that men experience violence as well. “We are not saying that we don’t value the rights of men. We are saying we live in a society where we should all have access to equal opportunities, equal rights of being valued.

Unfortunately, our women, a vulnerable sector of society, do not get to celebrate those rights in the same way as men do,” she had to explain to them.

She admitted there was a limit to what Government and NGOs could do. She asked the prisoners to do all they could do to train their children to be good citizens, and to live the best they could live, not tearing down anyone. “It calls for each and every citizen to look inside, to see how we could do better, be better and value the human rights of each and every citizen of Trinidad and Tobago,” she said.

Noting that the past few days had been very difficult emotionally and spiritually, she asked that the movement of acting and speaking against violence in all forms be a continuous one, and not go in the way of “talk in TT lasts nine days and done.” She asked that the country stand in unity, put aside pride, position, political allegiances, race, and other divisions, and speak out against violence.

“If we all start speaking out and saying it’s wrong together, trust me, God will do the rest and we could bring about the change that we want in Trinidad and Tobago,” she said.

The 33-year-old man, an outpatient of St Ann’s Psychiatric Hospital, has been described by police as armed and dangerous.

He remained at large up to last evening.

According to reports, Siew Seetahal, a former taxi driver was at his home at 6 pm, when he was attacked by the male relative who allegedly chopped off his feet and one of his arms.

The crazed killer then stacked the limbs in a row resulting in Seetahal bleeding to death.

According to reports, the killer then telephoned a male relative and said he wanted assistance to move a body.

The relative became suspicious and alerted the Barataria police who went to the scene and found Seetahal’s body clad only in his underwear with his severed limbs stacked in a row in the bathroom.

The district medical officer was alerted and the body was removed to the Forensic Sciences Centre, St James for an autopsy.

North Eastern Division police have launched a manhunt for the suspect but he could not be found on Friday night. Police have received information that the suspect was seen heading towards the Morvant area where a female relative lives.

That relative also suffers from a mental disorder.

Relatives of the dead man expressed horror and outrage over the murder claiming the suspect became violent when he did not receive his medication on time. Relatives added that doctors at the St Ann’s hospital who treated the suspect should have known about his aggression and kept him at the institution.

Officers of the North Eastern Division are continuing enquires.