In a follow-up to a press release issued on Thursday, June 24th,2021, the Royal Turks and Caicos Islands Police Force believe that the human remains recovered from a vessel found drifting near Grand Turk originated from the West Coast of Africa.
Work is continuing to identify the deceased persons with the assistance of International law enforcement partners and United Kingdom Diplomatic Channels, says Commissioner of Police Trevor Botting.
“We have been working closely with our partners in the United Kingdom and other international law enforcement agencies to work as quickly and efficiently as possible to identify those who were found deceased and establish the circumstances that led to their death. The Her Majesty’s Coroner has been heavily involved in that regard. It is believed the deceased persons originated from the West Coast of Africa, and neither the Turks and Caicos Islands nor the region was their intended destination. Although the details of the intended journe y are yet to be established, we believe the vessel is linked to a similar vessel found in the waters of Tobago. Weare liaising with theauthorities there”,said Commissioner of Police, Trevor Botting
Commissioner Botting added, “This is a terrible loss of life, and I would like to extend condolences to families of the deceased. Additionally, I would like to thank the RTCIPF investigators and support team for all the hard work done thus far in this tragic and distressing case.
We will continue to do our best to get the remains of those who have pass ed away home to their loved ones”.
