No trace of Thomas – Trini missing in Antigua for 51 days

IT HAS been 51 agonising days since Candy Jagesar last heard from her only son, 21-year-old Thomas Vasquez. He vanished without a trace in Antigua on April 15, and since then, Jagesar has been clinging to hope and demanding answers.

But answers have been scarce. Despite initial outreach from Trinidad and Tobago's Foreign and Caricom Affairs Minister Sean Sobers, who said on May 5 he had "immediately instructed staff" to contact authorities in Antigua and Barbuda, there has been no update. The case appears to have stalled.

After a Newsday editorial on Vasquez's disappearance on May 7, Antigua’s leadership responded with sharp criticism. On May 10, Prime Minister Gaston Browne publicly rebuked Sobers in a Facebook post, asserting Sobers had “no moral authority” to comment. Browne went further, accusing “deracinated opposition elements” of conspiring with “a foreigner to condemn our beautiful twin-island state.”

Browne argued Vasquez had a history of entering Antigua by plane and "leaving clandestinely by boat, ostensibly peddling marijuana from an illegal farm on which he worked here in Antigua."

Despite his accusation, he expressed hope that "the missing young man from Trinidad is safe," whilst noting, "there is no evidence to suggest he went missing in Antigua."

Caught in the crossfire of political posturing is a grieving mother, and a young man who has simply disappeared.

Vasquez’s case is not unique. A March 28 BBC investigation titled “Mysterious Disappearances Spook Residents of Caribbean Island” highlights a troubling pattern of unresolved disappearances that has left many island residents gripped by fear and frustration.

The report called attention to the need for regional and international co-operation, a sentiment echoed by local activists and civilians who spoke to Newsday in subsequent interviews.

For Jagesar, the silence is deafening, but not defeating. In an interview on June 5, she said she remains committed to her search for the truth. She refuses to let her son’s story fade.

“I just want to know what happened to Thomas,” she said. “Someone has to know something.”

She said there are no updates. Asked if she still hopes to travel to Antigua, she admitted it has been very difficult. On May 6, Sobers told Newsday his ministry would liaise with Vasquez’s family “to figure out what is going on.”

“Nobody has reached out to me. I haven’t heard a word from anyone, and everything seems to have gone cold,” Jagesar said.

However, there is a glimmer of hope. Jagesar said after weeks of no contact, Sgt Joseph, who is assigned to the investigation in Antigua, has been in communication with her.

Asked if Vasquez’s case had been officially classified as a missing person incident or otherwise, Jagesar said, “I don’t know. What I do know is that he is missing. He landed in Antigua on April 14.”

Her search for answers has also extended to the MP for her constituency and the Minister of Homeland Security Roger Alexander.

“I sent a message via the UNC WhatsApp group, but I haven’t received any reply, and it’s been more than two weeks now. I just sent a short message explaining my case. I want someone to call me. I don’t even have a direct number for him, so I don’t know what’s going on.”

Newsday briefly spoke with Sobers, who said he was in a meeting and requested questions be sent via WhatsApp. A message was sent asking whether his ministry had received any correspondence from officials in Antigua, whether his ministry had contacted Vasquez’s family, and how, if at all, the ministry had been assisting the family.

Attempts to reach Alexander were unsuccessful: calls went unanswered, and follow-up WhatsApp messages have also not been returned. As of midday on June 5, neither official had responded.