[UPDATED] Mother, two children found dead in water tank in Tobago

A mother and her two children, who were last seen on September 2, were found dead in a green metal WASA water tank in Parrot Hall, Parlatuvier, Tobago on Wednesday evening.

Senior police sources confirmed the decomposing bodies of Sarah Smith, 33, Genuine Smith, three, and 18-month-old Phoenix Smith were found in the water tank around 5.30 pm on September 11.

Police said Smith's mother reported her missing. The mother also said Smith had been displaying erratic behaviour.

On Wednesday night, Newsday spoke to president of the United Friends Foundation Shevonne Phillips Manning, who said she knew Smith as the foundation helped her when she came to Tobago, where she had lived for the last five months.

"She came Tobago to get away from whatever was in Trinidad and to start a new life.

"Unfortunately she ended up like this."

Manning said when Smith went missing on September 2, she and others found it suspicious.

"We knew because she started a little shop at the side of the road and nobody was seeing her. We started to question where she was, because the shop was not opening."

Manning said her foundation assisted Smith in several ways.

"We helped her with paying the rent, buying groceries and assisting her son, as one of them was going to school."

As Manning was saying this she repeated, "Oooh, they opening it," talking about the WASA tank in which the bodies were found.

Manning said Genuine was attending the Castara Early Childhood Care and Educational Centre.

She said when Smith started her business, someone else started helping her, but Manning never knew who.

"My father was assisting her with paying the rent when we (the foundation) didn't pay it.

"She was going a little good, so she told my father to leave her."

She described Smith as outspoken.

"She asked for what she want, always kept to herself and knew where she wanted to be.

"She had everything planned of what she wanted and needed. She didn't seem like a violent person, and I didn't think she would have reach this far."

Manning described Smith's children as "really cute" and "always hook up on they mammy."

"The little boy (Genuine) always like to dig. He was always looking to plant something or play in the ground. He liked groundwork and liked to be in the garden and stuff like that – around had a garden with cucumbers, pumpkin."

Manning said Smith was trying to find her way, but said, "Maybe the stress of life was too much for her."

She said just before Smith and her children went missing, Smith confided in several people in the community that she was having difficulty coping with stress.

"She didn't tell me, but she told other people if she could not handle it and something happened to her...to let them go to their father, because she has two other children in Trinidad and she wanted them to go to their father."

She said Smith also said she did not want her children facing the same disadvantages she did.

"She didn't want anyone to take advantage of her children the way people took advantage of her."

Smith asked for help from numerous people, she said, but did not get any.

Manning said there were rumours in the community that Smith was acting erratically before she went missing.

"I'm unsure of that, because we didn't know and we did not see it."

Manning said the entire situation was just sad.

"It's children, and sometimes when people go into government places and ask for assistance, they should not turn them away.

"Everybody going through something, and not everyone can cope with it, and there should be someone to assist. My heart is broken, because she did really go asking for help and no one could have helped."

Manning is calling on those in authority to have better systems in place to help people in need.

Newsday tried contacting head of Tobago police Snr Supt Rodhill Kirk, Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Tobago Collis Hazel, Chief Secretary of the Tobago House of Assembly (THA) Farley Augustine and Tobago East MP Ayanna Webster-Roy, but there were no responses to calls and messages.

This story has been adjusted to include additional details. See original post below.

A mother and her two children who were last seen on September 2 were found dead in a water tank in Parlatuvier, Tobago on the evening of September 11.

Senior police sources confirmed the decomposing bodies of Sarah Smith, 33, Genuine Smith, three, and 18-month-old Phoenix Smith were found in the water tank around 5.30 pm.

Police said Smith's mother reported her missing.

The mother also said Smith had been displaying erratic behaviour.

This is a developing story.