Relatives horrified by murder of Siparia woman, 60

One of the nieces of the 60-year-old woman whose head was found in a cooler on the roadside in Sennon Village, Siparia, said the grisly discovery had left the community and relatives horrified.

“I felt sick to my stomach when I saw the image,” the niece told reporters at the family’s home in Rito Ville, Siparia, on March 14.

Around 1.15 pm on March 13, police got a tip-off about a bag covered with flies on the roadside with a woman’s severed head. The head was inside a plastic cooler in the bag in a slip drain, opposite an incomplete structure. The victim was later identified as Joanne Estick, 60. The mother of one and the grandmother of three was a drug user and a hustler.

The niece, who asked not to be named, said she got the tragic news via social media. She saw images circulating and went to the scene.

She recalled that Estick moved out in December and went to stay in Quinam.

The niece said the family had repeatedly tried to help her aunt’s addiction over the years, but those efforts were unsuccessful. Relatives often financially supported Estick.

Tragically, Estick’s only child, a daughter in her 30s, died during the pandemic while in the US.

The niece said, “Joanne was always prowling in the wee hours of the morning as if she owned the road. In a time like this, with all that is happening in TT, you cannot do that. I cannot say if anyone ever threatened to kill her for any reason.”

“She had a high temper and would often use obscene language, if anyone got her vexed. Apart from that, she was cool.

"Not everybody would take cuss, especially nowadays. I am not saying that is what happened with her. Right now, there is so much speculation. We do not know what happened.”

On Carnival Tuesday, March 4, Estick reportedly had an altercation with a group of people over $100 but relatives could not say if that was linked to the murder.

Another niece, Joanna Mejias, was baffled by the murder.

“What could she have done to deserve this? If she did something wrong, they could have cut off a hand or a foot, but not the neck. She was a very nice woman. The crime is disgusting. I do not know who is next.”

The police said Estick was last seen alive around 12.30 pm on March 12 walking along the road at Sennon Village. She had several convictions for having marijuana and cocaine.

Since the discovery, South Western Division and members of the Canine Unit began searching for the rest of the body.

On March 14, members of the NGO Hunters Search and Rescue Team led by Vallence Rambharat, joined the search. The team started where the head was found and continued searching the surrounding area. It is believed the crime was done somewhere else and someone dropped off the bag.

Rambharat and his team interviewed several residents and used a drone. When asked about the crime nationwide, Rambharath said it was getting worse, adding that crime was transnational.

“For the people of Siparia, they have to look at who enters the community, the squatting settlement. Some complained of outsiders coming in and squatting, disrupting the once peaceful community,” he said. “People have to continue to be vigilant and install cameras to at least secure themselves in their homes.”

A resident told Newsday that Estick was a hustler. She often washed cars, cleaned, and did odd jobs to make money.

“Around 3 am on Tuesday, I saw about 12 missed calls from her. I was asleep and missed the calls. I tried calling back yesterday and never got an answer. I spoke to her last on Monday,” he said.

Residents suspect the killer might have put the head in a place where it could be found. Though they claim not to know the circumstances, they suspect it might be drug-related.

The first responders were Cpl Patrice and PC Cummings of the South Western Division Task Force.

DMO Dr Nalini Maharaj viewed the head and ordered its removal to the Forensic Science Centre in St James.

Supt Persad, Insp Teeluck, Sgt Deo, Cpl Julamsingh and other police from the Homicide Bureau of Investigations, Region Three, visited the scene and gathered evidence. Cpl Griffith is continuing investigations.

Estick is the latest of four people to have been killed in Siparia in the past few months.

On December 2, 2024, police found the body of Ramdath Maharaj, 64, with multiple chop wounds at Trainline on Quinam Road in Sennon Village.

Maharaj, also known as “Ras” and “Salt,” was a known drug user like Estick.

He did not have a fixed place of abode but was originally from Thick Village in Siparia.

A month earlier, on November 14, the badly decomposing and nude body of Jamie Mohammed, 44, of Mendez Village, was found off Murray Trace, Siparia.

She reportedly went missing in October 2024.

On October 5, the body of Carlos Mahabir, 38, was found at his home in Mendez Village, where he lived alone.

He was a suspect in the murder of a pensioner in the community. Contrary to social media speculation, police investigators dismissed that one person was responsible for the four murders.

No one has been arrested and investigations are ongoing.