Bloody cutlass found in burnt house where 3 people died

A blood-stained cutlass has been found by police inside the burnt house where the remains of a 69-year-old woman, her son and another woman were found in Guapo on Friday.

The discovery has led investigators to believe that Ceslyn "Linda" Farrell, her son Patrick, 48, and friend Seycelles Hannah, 41, may have been brutally attacked before the house was set on fire. Police said there were also bloodstains on the walls. Fingerprint tests are to be done on the cutlass.

On Friday, shortly after 8 am, residents of Petrotrin Quarters, Guapo called the police and fire officers when they saw Farrell's house was on fire. The bodies were found among the charred ruins. Investigators said the autopsies to be done on Monday at the Forensic Science Centre, St James, will confirm the cause of death. It is believed an intruder gained entry to the house through a back door.

TTEC briefly disconnected the electricity in the area after the fire, which investigators said was arson as they found inflammable liquid at the scene.

A 33-year-old man was detained and remained in custody on Saturday.

Farrell was described as an avid churchgoer. She was a mother of six and a grandmother of 17. Hannah, neighbours said, had moved in with Farrell about three months ago after a domestic dispute in Point Fortin. She was a mother of two.

Patrick lived and worked in Tobago but frequently visited his mother in Guapo, police said.

The case is being investigated by Homicide Region III

officers.