Man missing at sea
By Terresa McCall
Reporter-SKNVibes.com
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Richard ‘Elmond’ Hodge
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BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – WHAT was expected to be a cheerful and Merry Christmas was far from that for family members of Richard ‘Elmond’ Hodge who have had to face the possibility that they may not see him again.
On Wednesday, December 24, Hodge and two other individuals reportedly went out to sea on a conch-diving expedition and did not return.
In an exclusive interview with SKNVibes, Hodge’s daughter, Shauna Maynard, explained that her father did not plan to go out to sea that day. She also explained that she became concerned later that day when she began receiving telephone calls about his disappearance.
“Three men were supposed to go out on a vessel to dive for conchs on Wednesday morning. We were told that one took a look at the sea and decided it was too rough so he wasn’t going again.
We also heard that the other two guys went to look for my dad and they picked him up in a jeep and they went out to sea. The vessel they went out in belongs to Reginald ‘Jeffrey’ Mills.”
Maynard said that before her father’s disappearance, he told her of his plans for Christmas Eve which included having his malfunctioning cellular telephone fixed and making repairs to his boat. She said his plans did not include going out to sea.
“I didn’t know he went on sea. On Wednesday morning, my daughter and I went to town to pick up some things and my daughter told me, ‘Mommy the water is rough’, and she is only eight years old and I looked at her because I wanted to know what she knew about rough water. So I didn’t expect anyone to go out to sea in those conditions. ~~Adz:Right~~
I have a part-time job and when I was working a friend of mine called me and told me she heard that they can’t find my father, but I still didn’t pay any attention to that. I called his wife and she didn’t take it seriously because, as far as she knew, he was not to go out to sea on that day.”
Maynard told SKNVibes that she comprehended the seriousness of the matter only after other phone calls were placed to her.
“After the phone calls were more frequent, I began realising the seriousness of the situation and I called his wife again and she too became worried. I left the job and I made a few phone calls. I went to Coast Guard and I was told that a vessel had been out looking for them. That is when I got really scared because I realised the sea was really rough. I went with them on Thursday morning and we found nothing.”
While there is still that measure of hope that her father and his sea mates are safe and sound, Maynard expressed that hope has dwindled and continues to dwindle at a rapid rate.
Hodge’s disappearance took place on the 16th birthday of his second to last child. He was a fisherman in excess of 31 years.
