No ID yet on dead assailant in O'delle's kidnapping, murder

Police are still working to identify the man killed in a shootout with officers who were trying to find O'delle Lalman-Baptiste after she was kidnapped on the night of April 18.

Initial police reports said Lalman-Baptiste was in a Hyundai H-100 van being driven by her husband along Hospital Road, Carlsen Field, on April 18 when he stopped and got out to urinate at the side of the road around 11 pm. A black Nissan X-Trail allegedly pulled up and two men got out and robbed him of $1,500 and two cell phones before jumping in the van and driving off with Lalman-Baptiste.

About half an hour after it was stolen, police used GPS to track the van along the Churchill Roosevelt Highway close to the Eastern Correctional Rehabilitation Centre. North Central Task Force intercepted it and a shootout ensued after two armed men jumped out of the van. One of the suspects escaped and the other, who was injured in the shootout, was declared dead on arrival at the Arima General Hospital. Police still had not identified the dead suspect up to press time.

Police, accompanied by relatives, later found Lalman-Baptiste's body around 11.30 am on April 19. The body was a few feet off the road near where she was taken in Carlsen Field. The 30-year-old registered nurse at the Point Fortin Hospital had been stabbed multiple times and her throat slit. An autopsy is expected to be done on April 22.

She was the mother of a three-year-old boy.

There has since been an outpouring of love and support on social media for Lalman-Baptiste and her family, the latest of which came from Minister of Health Terrence Deyalsingh on April 20.

“Nurse Lalman-Baptiste, began her career as a nurse in 2021, and dedicated her life to the care and service of others. Her loss is not only heartbreaking for her family, but for the entire public health sector, including her colleagues at the Point Fortin Hospital where she worked.

“We mourn the loss of a healthcare hero whose compassion and commitment will not be forgotten.”

South West Regional Health Authority CEO Brian Amour also expressed his condolences on April 19. He said the authority would make counselling available to all her colleagues who worked closely with her.