Suspect in Kimani's death released

A man who was a suspect in the death of two-year-old Kimani Francis has been released. The release of the man leaves the exact circumstances under which Kimani died shrouded in mystery.

On May 12, the man who walked into the Point Fortin police station and confessed to killing “the child” on Thursday was still in police custody. The man, from Techier Village, Point Fortin, who police believe is an outpatient of a psychiatric clinic, did not identify the child by name or gender.

According to police reports, the man was released after it was determined he was nowhere in the area at the time when Kimani was found dead.

Kimani wandered away from his home in Tenth Street Extension in Techier Village on May 9. He was barefoot, wearing a diaper and seen heading towards a forested area nearby.

The toddler lived with his mother Kimberly Charles, 22, and extended family, including his grandmother, great-grandmother and an aunt. His father, Emmanuel Francis, lives in Guapo, on the outskirts of Point Fortin.

The police got a call from someone who saw the child alone in the road.

A massive search was launched on May 9 shortly after Kimani went missing. Teams comprising villagers, police officers, soldiers, NGOs Search and Rescue Team and Hard Grounds, searched the area late into night and into the following morning. Point Fortin MP Kennedy Richards Jr and Point Fortin Mayor Saleema Thomas were also involved.

At 11.05 am on May 10, hopes and prayers for Kimani's safe return were shattered when his body was found in a tributary of the Guapo River that ran through a nearby oilfield.

Anger over Kimani's death was directed at one resident Zoi Quan Kep. She posted a social media in which she spoke about seeing Kimani on May 9 but could not catch up with him. She later moved out of Techier Village.

An autopsy done on May 13 at the Forensic Science Centre in St James, found his death was due to asphyxia consistent with drowning. Sadness and anger over Kimani's death's flowed through the entire population.

Among those commenting was the Prime Minister.

Dr Rowley said the nation was torn over Kimani's death.

In a Facebook post, Dr Rowley said, “We all have questions to ask ourselves, not the least of which is whether this tender life could have been saved.

“The vast majority of us do not know this child or this family, but that does not insulate us from the deep disturbing sorrow that washes over our nation tonight.”

Rowley said the sad end is not what people were praying and hoping for even as the country struggles with “a constant stream” of violence – domestic and otherwise.

“I, among the many shocked and saddened citizens, extend my deepest sympathy to the family and the Point Fortin community, and trust that in times like these we commit, even more than ever, to be our brother's keeper as we extend ourselves in support as far as we are able.”

Kimani's family had a second autopsy done privately but no one has been available to say what were its results.