[UPDATED] Baby's body found in Maraval garbage bin

Maraval residents say they are disturbed by the discovery of the body of a baby girl, said to be a day old, in a roadside bin on Saddle Road on Wednesday morning.

A Diego Martin Borough Corporation sanitation worker made the gruesome discovery at around 6 am while emptying the bin. Witnesses say the man tried to lift the white plastic bag with the baby’s body inside, believing it contained garbage, but it burst, revealing the baby’s hand.

Residents said the man ran to the nearby Maraval police station to notify officers.

Police arrived shortly afterwards and retrieved footage from nearby CCTV cameras as part of their investigation. A district medical officer pronounced the baby dead and the body was taken away for an autopsy. The discovery caused a massive traffic pileup as drivers slowed to observe the scene. The bin, at the bottom of a narrow hill in front of a restaurant, is a few buildings away from the police station. Made of iron bars and covered with latticework, it is similar to those seen at the side of the road in many areas around the country.

Residents say its location, near to the Morne Coco/Saddle Road intersection, means it is considered a community bin and is used by everyone, including passers-by. “Everybody does just pass and throw garbage. Sometime they leave home with the garbage and bring it here. Everybody does dump their garbage here,” said one resident. The bin is emptied every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, leading residents to believe the baby’s body was dumped overnight, as they say the bag was near the top of the garbage heap.

Several residents spoke with Newsday but asked not to be named.

One resident said, “That is a wicked person to throw that baby there. That hadda be a wicked person.” Another resident said the incident had left him feeling uneasy.

“That was a terrible feeling, it wasn’t nice at all seeing that. It hurting me bad and it disturbing me. I still can’t even eat.”

One man said this was the first time he could recall anything of this nature in the decades he has lived in the area.

“All my years in Maraval I never hear anything like this happen here. Dem ting doh happen here. So much people have so much children and we never hear about a child in the garbage in Maraval.” He lamented the discovery, saying it was just another example of the state of things in TT. “That’s what we reach to…that’s what life means to them.” Residents believe justice will served, as there are cameras on the buildings next to the bin, pointing directly at it. “There are cameras all over. Police took up all the footage this morning, so they have to find that person.”

Another called for justice to be served and said the perpetrator should receive the harshest sentence possible. “I just want them to find that person. That’s what I want. Find that person and deal with them. Deal with them to the fullest extent of the law.” Residents also expressed sympathies to the man who discovered the baby.

One woman said he has become a staple of the community, as this has been his regular route for years. Another resident said, “He takes pride in his job. He does clean the bin and pick up everything. I sure he traumatised after this.” They expressed their hope that he receives counselling.

Police are encouraging anyone with information on the unidentified baby to contact the nearest police station or Crime Stoppers at 800-TIPS.