Dad Charged with Death of Drowned Son

A 35-year-old Port of Spain man was charged late Saturday night with the manslaughter of his 3-year-old son who drowned at Chaguaramas last month during a family outing at the boardwalk in the Western peninsula.

The man was detained on Tuesday following extensive investigations by Carenage police and the Homicide Bureau under Corporals Nicombe and Moses. He appeared before a Port of Spain Magistrate today and charged with gross negligence which led to the death of his son. He was granted $75,000 bail.

On July 16 the man and members of his family left their PoS home for a family day at the boardwalk in Chaguaramas. They arrived at the boardwalk at around 3 pm and according to the manat around 5 pm, while he was speaking with friends, he saw his son, Messi Gorkin standing behind him.

When he made another check minutes later, the child was nowhere to be found. Relatives carried out a frantic search for the toddler and relatives took to social media to plead with persons who may have seen the child or taken into their custody to release him.

The father and other relatives kept all night vigil that night at Chaguaramas hoping that the little boy would be returned to them. However their worst fears were realised the following day when the tiny body of Messi was seen floating in the vicinity of Pier 1 by a security guard.

The body was fished out and an autopsy revealed that the child died from drowning. Police investigators were advised by senior officers to probe the circumstances leading to the child's drowning and thirteen persons including the child's father were interviewed by Corporals Nicombe and Moses of the Carenage police.

Investigators learned that on July 16 the child may have followed some relatives into the water and drowned without proper supervision from his parents. On Tuesday the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) instructed that the father of the child be detained after a file was submitted to him and Saturday night, instructions were given for the charge to be laid.