Murdered woman's friends erect shrine Claxton Bay site

Friends of Danette Pierre, whose burnt body was found in Claxon Bay on January 28, marked her 32nd birthday on March 9, by erecting a shrine in her memory on the spot where her remains were discovered.

Pierre’s mother Donna told the Newsday it was traditional for her daughter to spend her birthday with friends she made since her primary and secondary school days at St Paul’s Girls Anglican and then Pleasantville Junior Secondary, now San Fernando East Secondary.

“On her birthday she would normally do something with the family in the morning and day, but after that she would always do something with her friends in the evening. They were very close. One of them is even the godmother to two of her children.”

To maintain the tradition, friends and relatives journeyed to the scene at Cedar Hill Road, Forres Park, Claxton Bay, where they placed some of her favourite drinks, candles, cupcakes, chocolate and a framed photograph, and recalled memorable moments.

Donna said funeral arrangements are still pending, even though the remains have been handed over to the family. On March 1, the family got confirmation of her murder after DNA results matched samples submitted by her parents.

“We are awaiting permission from the San Fernando City Corporation (SFCC), for a plot at the Roodal Cemetery on Lady Hailes Avenue, to bury her.”

Cemetery plots are usually reserved for people who live in the city. The Pierre family lives at Hibiscus Drive, Petite Morne Settlement, Ste Madeleine, just on the outskirts of San Fernando.

“We have written a letter to the SFCC requesting a plot because we lived in San Fernando for 30 years. We are San Fernandians. We moved to Ste Madeleine recently.

“Also, the funeral service will be held at the Our Lady of Perpetual Help RC Church on Harris Promenade, so it would be easier for burial at the nearby cemetery.”

She said cremation is not an option for the family.

“I don’t want to cremate. I say she already gone through one set of fire. How much more fire can one person get? I am not going through with that.”

She said she wants to bury her daughter in San Fernando, where she can visit and light candles and place flowers on her grave.

Pierre, mother of three, went missing on January 28, after receiving a telephone call. She told her mother she “was making a turn” indicating she would be back soon.

She never returned. On the same day she disappeared, skeletal remains were found in a burnt out Mazda 3 sedan, which was reportedly stolen from the Sangre District.

Jewellery found in the vehicle were identified as those belonging to Pierre. DNA testing of the remains with samples provided by her parents Dave and Donna Pierre proved to be a match.

No one has been in connection with her murder to date.