Mother of 21-year-old found dead in Carlsen Field: Monster murdered my child

LOVING, vibrant, outgoing and a bundle of joy are just a few of the traits the relatives of 21-year-old Savanna Dyer will remember her by.

Her life, however, was cut short as her semi-nude body was found in the early morning on June 14.

Police said around 6.30 am, people were passing on Carlsen Field Road and found Dyer lying in some bushes.

She was found in a yellow top and her underwear, blood was seen coming from the left side of her head.

Graphic photos and videos of Dyer’s body surfaced on social media which was met with widespread outrage as the public expressed shock and disgust.

Dyer lived in Diego Martin and Newsday visited the community and spoke with her relatives.

Dyer’s mother spoke to Newsday but wished to remain anonymous.

“Whoever did this is a monster,” she said.

“You cut our joy. She was the bubbly one in the family. You stole that from us. You stole my best friend from me.”

Dyer’s mother said there was nothing her daughter could have done to deserve this.

She added that she spoke to her daughter daily – sometimes multiple times.

She said their last phone call on June 13 was light, as they were joking and laughing about another unfortunate situation the family was facing.

“My aunt died the morning and me and Savanna were just talking. She was making jokes about how boring the wake would be.”

She said Dyer started a new job at iQor and was finally beginning to mature as an adult.

“You know when they are growing up they tend to be more carefree, but recently she started becoming a lot more serious about her future.

“She recently did Prison’s examinations as she wanted to join the service.”

Asked what she would miss most about Dyer, her mother said their conversations.

“Any little problem, I’ll call her. And if she calling and I don’t answer it was, ‘Why you not answering me?’

“She could tell me anything. She was very open with me. That was my bestie.”

She remains optimistic that the police will solve her daughter’s case.

“I really hope I get justice but all these cases just go unsolved.”

According to her mother, Dyer was neither in a relationship nor seeing anyone romantically.

She said her daughter would have shared that information with her due to the nature of their relationship.

Newsday understands Dyer had been at her new job for roughly a month.

Newsday also understands that she was last seen liming at Nari’s on D’Avenue (Nari’s Bar) in Barataria on the night of June 13 with her new co-workers.

“I don’t know any of the new friends,” her mother said.

Of her seven children, two have now been murdered. One of her sons was murdered on June 2, 2017 – allegedly by another son. The second son was charged with the murder in 2017 and is still awaiting trial.

Dyer’s father also spoke to Newsday but wished to remain anonymous.

Sitting at a bar near his home and in the company of friends and family, the man said he was not remorseful over his daughter’s death.

“We will bury her and live like normal. I have accepted her death. Let the authorities do what they have to do.”

He, however, does not believe he will get justice for his daughter’s murder.

The man said Dyer was his first child, who had lived with him since the age of two.

Mimicking the actions, he recalled his fondest memory with his daughter.

“I would be walking down the road with her as a child and if anyone tried to talk to her or touch her she would lock her hands and head into my chest.”

Murdered one day before Father’s Day, Newsday asked if he would usually have activities with his daughter.

“We were not the kind of people to celebrate the day. She live, I live, that’s how we operated.”

Numerous people offered their condolences to Dyer’s father while he sat in front the bar.

On April 19, a nurse was kidnapped during a suspected carjacking in Carlsen Field and found dead nearby roughly 12 hours after the crime.

O’delle Lalman-Baptiste, 30, a registered nurse at the Point Fortin Hospital and mother of a three-year-old, was taken away at gunpoint around 11 pm on April 18.

Reports said her husband, 29-year-old Point Fortin car dealer Matthias Baptiste, had stopped his van along Hospital Road, Carlsen Field, to urinate when a black Nissan X-Trail pulled alongside and two men armed with guns approached.

The couple were robbed of $1,500 and two cellphones. The men drove off with the car dealer’s van with Lalman-Baptiste still inside.

Police told Newsday her body was found at the side of the road a short distance from where she was taken.

Investigators believed Lalman-Baptiste was killed shortly after she was taken and thrown out of the van.

Around midnight on April 18, police intercepted the stolen van after tracking it using its GPS device.

During a chase, the van veered off the highway near the Eastern Correction Rehabilitation Centre, Santa Rosa, and crashed in a ditch.

Police said two men came out and shot at them. Police shot back and hit one of the suspects.

He was taken to the Arima General Hospital where he was pronounced dead on arrival. The other suspect escaped.

In May, police said investigations were still ongoing.

Greater police presence coming to Carsen Field

Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) for South/Central Wayne Mystar said new safety initiatives and increased surveillance was coming to the area.

A release on June 14 said due to the “remote and isolated” nature of Carsen Field, Mystar had mandated the rollout of new measures.

“These include increased mobile patrols along Xeres Road and other vulnerable zones within Carlsen Field, particularly during early morning and late-night hours. Additionally, the installation of surveillance cameras in strategic locations as it would help deter criminal activity and assist with ongoing and future investigations.”

Mystar said community outreach exercises aimed at engaging resident and raising awareness of safety, reporting suspicious activities and crime prevention strategies would also be initiated.

In addition to surveillance cameras, better lighting infrastructure in poorly lit areas would also be asked of by the police from local government bodies.

Mystar reassured the public that the matter was being treated with the “highest priority” and police are committed to working with the community to bring those responsible to justice.

He encouraged those with information to contact the Freeport Police Station or 800-TIPS.

Recent murders throughout the country

Dyer was not the only woman found dead on June 14.

A 71-year-old woman was stabbed to death by a close male relative in Brazil Village.

Police said around 6.20 am, Elizabeth Ettienne called a relative and asked him to come home immediately.

When he arrived at her Talparo Trace home, he saw Ettienne’s close male relative standing outside and covered in blood.

He went inside and found her with several stab wounds. Two knives were found at the scene.

The male relative was arrested and is assisting police with their investigations.

The murder toll now stands at 176.