Baby Sariah's family distraught since her death

The family of one-year-old Sariah Williams is struggling after she was chopped to death on Sunday night during a family quarrel over washing wares.

During a visit to the family’s home at Sion Drive, Tarodale, San Fernando, on Wednesday, Sariah’s aunt Kamaria Simon told Newsday she has been unable to sleep or eat since Sariah died.

Simon also said Sariah’s mother, Nikita Williams, isn’t doing well emotionally and has barely spoken to the family.

She told Newsday, “Nobody isn’t the doing the best right now.

“She (Sariah’s mother) not so good right now...all I know is she’s feeling sad, terrified and traumatised.

“I would tell my sister to try and stay strong for her other kids, because if the other kids see her not strong, them may not be strong as well.

“We are big people, so we could still take (the situation), but children may not.”

Newsday was unable to verify where Williams was or to contact her.

Williams has been offered counselling by the police, Simon said no such offer was made to the wider family.

Simon said one of Sariah’s siblings was close to the baby and has been distraught since her death.

The sibling had an exam on Wednesday morning. But Simon said because the sibling has been upset about the death, she was unsure if the child would have been able to study properly for the exam or do well.

At the time of Newsday’s visit, Simon was playing sombre songs like Heaven by Beyoncé and I'll Be Missing You by Puff Daddy and Faith Evans.

Playing music and reminiscing about Sariah is the way Simon is coping with her death.

“She was a happy, happy child and she used to eat a lot.

“I still love Sariah and I used to go for her every day, I used to dress her up every day and I never even used to have to harass my sister (Sariah’s mother) to do certain things with her. I used to make sure Sariah got everything, because I wanted her to dress up pretty."

As the family grieves, Simon said many people have reached out to them with supportive words which they greatly appreciate.

A pastor also visited the home and spoke with them.

Sariah was visiting the family’s home on Sunday with Williams, who was preparing roti for a curry-que.

She and her mother did not live far from the family’s Tarodale home and would regularly visit.

However, tempers flared after 8pm on Sunday night, when Sariah’s grandmother, Michelle Williams, tried helping Williams wash some wares she had used to prepare the curry-que.

A male relative was enraged by Michelle’s offer to help Williams, and he and Michelle quarrelled.

The man then disappeared for a few minutes and returned to the gallery with a cutlass with the intention of chopping Michelle. Instead, the cutlass fatally struck Sariah, who was sitting on her lap.

The baby was taken to the San Fernando General Hospital, but was unresponsive by the time she arrived. Staff tried to resuscitate Sariah but she was pronounced dead a few minutes later.

Simon said the police have been in regular contact with the family as investigations continue.

Sariah’s autopsy is expected to be done on Wednesday, and the family is waiting until afterwards before they begin planning her funeral.