Mum wants answers on son's disappearance at sea

The mother of a 19-year-old man who went missing at sea, off the coast of Erin, more than four years ago, believes her son might not be alive.

However, she called on anyone with information on the incident or whereabouts to come forward, saying she wanted closure.

In March 2019, sailor Anthony George, 19, of Guayaguayare, was feared to have been held up and kidnapped by Spanish-speaking men at sea between Trinidad and Venezuela waters in an area called "The Ship".

"Anthony would be 24 now but was 19 when he went missing. If he is dead, I cannot do anything about that. I try not to think about the whole issue. With the length of time he is missing, I feel he is dead," George's mother, Jenelle Estrada, said.

"Even if he was taken to Venezuela or in jail there for some reason, how can we get him back home? I have no money to fight up with the case. If he is alive, I guess he would come home."

Estrada, of Guayaguayare, said the night he went missing, she got a few calls for US$5,000 ransom for his safe release.

The kidnappers spoke to her in Spanish and she used a translation app to communicate with them.

"The people who were trying to make the transaction with me, I cannot say if they were Trinidadians or Venezuelans, but they spoke Spanish. I told them I was not paying any ransom unless I saw evidence of my son alive," Estrada said by phone on Sunday.

"They sent me a picture of cell phones, and I recognised Anthony's phone. That was it. The last thing they told me was to look for him at Soldado Rock, and he might be swimming there or nearby."

Reports are George and another man, 29, the boat's captain, went out at sea from Erin in March 2019, and were held up by a group of men.

The men ordered the two victims on their boat. The victims jumped to escape the men, but only the captain returned home safely.

The police were told that the captain swam to an offshore oil installation where he flagged a passing boat occupied by local fishermen.

Police, villagers, Coast Guard, and Air Guard were alerted, but checks were unsuccessful.

South Western Division police confirmed that George was reported missing but could not confirm his status.

George is the cousin of Andy "Tallman" George, 40, one of three men missing at sea since January 31.

Andy, together with boat captain, George "Criminal George" Jotis, boat owner Heeralal "Lenus" Cooblal, 54, and welder Rishi Khemchan, 38, were last seen alive that day when they left the Guayaguayare fishing port for a fishing expedition.

Khemchan's decomposing body was recovered in Venezuela two weeks later. Last week, DNA samples confirmed the body was Khemchan's and has been released to his family.

Andy, Jotis, and Cooblal remained unaccounted for.

Anyone with information on their whereabouts can call the nearest police at 555, 999 or Crime Stoppers at 800-TIPS (8477) or report it via the TTPS App.