Two employees of a funeral home in Arima, the main city in eastern Trinidad, were detained for questioning
The Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago, Kamla Persad-Bissessar, assured that the bodies of 50 babies and six adults discovered in a cemetery are “unclaimed remains” and were not victims of homicide.
“The bodies discovered in the Cumuto cemetery [no nordeste de Trindade] they were, in fact, unclaimed remains that were being illegally disposed of and are NOT homicide victims,” Persad-Bissessar said.
“This matter will be resolved in the coming days,” said the prime minister, in a press release posted on social media on Sunday night.
Two employees of a funeral home in Arima, the main city in eastern Trinidad, were detained for questioning, a police spokesman said.
Police announced on Saturday the start of “an urgent investigation” after the discovery of the 56 bodies, which include six adults: four men and two women.
“The nature of this discovery is deeply worrying and we understand the emotional impact it will have on families and the entire nation,” said police, who also appealed for potential witnesses.
Hours later, in the early hours of Sunday, a police officer from the small English-speaking archipelago, located off the coast of Venezuela, was murdered in a police station.
But Kamla Persad-Bissessar assured that “there is no need for a curfew. Security forces continue to make progress in combating our crime crisis, which has lasted more than 20 years.”
The archipelago, known for its carnival and beaches, lives under a state of emergency declared in July 2025 due to violence, just a few weeks after having emerged from a previous state of emergency, between December 2024 and April 2025.
“Law-abiding citizens are encouraged to continue their legitimate activities as normal,” the prime minister added.
Since 2021, Trinidad and Tobago has declared a state of emergency four times. Despite the reduction in crime, it continues to be a center for drug trafficking, according to experts.
A US State Department report from March 2025 calculated a homicide rate of 37 per 100,000 inhabitants, making Trinidad and Tobago the sixth most dangerous nation in the world in 2023.
