BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – MONDAY (June 25) marked three years since Andrew ‘Spinal’ Samuel Jr. of Conaree Village had gone missing without a trace and family members are hoping that, after reading this article, someone may provide information to bring his abductors to justice.
The 23-year-old was reportedly last seen by his mother, Lavern Matthew, shortly before she left her home at approximately 11:00 a.m. on the day he went missing, and since then he has not been seen or heard from.
His aunt, Ayanna Moses, had told this publication that she and a number of family members had tried to contact him on several occasions but all they received were busy signals from his cellular phone.
Another close relative of Samuel had told this media house that friends had seen him in Ottley’s Village waiting to catch a bus on the day of his disappearance. However, “a black car pulled up on him. He knew the driver but when he noticed who were in the back seat, he tried to get out but they pulled him back into the vehicle”.
Following his disappearance, family members claimed that the police were not aggressively pursuing the matter.
This allegation was however refuted by then Assistant Commissioner of Police Joseph Liburd, who, in an exclusive interview with SKNVibes, said, “The police are looking into the matter. For anybody to say we have not been thoroughly pursuing investigations is completely untrue. In fact, up to yesterday (July 6) we questioned three individuals about the situation. No one was arrested but we were able to receive some useful information.”
ACP Liburd also said that he had personally spoken to Major Leroy Percival of the St. Kitts and Nevis Defence Force for members of that institution to assist the police in their search for the missing man. This request, he added, was granted and the search for Samuel was being done jointly.
The then Police Press and Public Relations Officer, Inspector Cromwell Henry, also denied the allegation and asserted that the force was doing all it could. He also noted that there was a new development in the case.
“On Saturday (July 4), the police took into custody a vehicle that may have been involved in the situation. We are currently examining it for clues,” he revealed.
This media house learnt that in addition to the vehicle, a number of persons were also taken into custody but subsequently released.
Concerned family members had contacted this media house to express their frustration and disappointment in the force’s perceived inaction. They said they had conducted searches in Cayon and Ottley’s Village, the area where Samuel was last seen.
They were adamant at the time that no help was coming from the police during their search for Samuel, and since filing a missing persons report on June 28, all police officials had told them was that they were “working on it”.
In an email to SKNVibes, dated Sunday, June 24, 2012, one of Samuel’s relatives said family members are still grieving and they crave a closure of this matter, while at the same time asking anyone with information on his disappearance to kindly provide same.
“His loved ones still have no closure, no body or articles he had on his person have been found, no one has been held responsible for what ever happened to him. We feel as though people have just forgotten about him. It’s bad enough that the help from the authorities was not given correctly in a timely matter to try and find/save him. His family and friends did his search on their own, and we haven't forgotten about him.
“We miss him more each day, we’re realistic to know that three years have passed and he might not be alive. Although we may never get a chance to put his body to rest the proper way or have a place to pay our respect to him, it’s not too late to bring justice to this situation. The people who were involved in taking him are still walking free. Someone out there knows what happened to him. I'm asking for your company not to forget him, to please bring back up his disappearance in hope that from reading or hearing about your article people will come forth and say what they know.”
When contacted for a comment on the matter, Deputy Commissioner Stafford Liburd told this media house that no new or additional information was garnered concerning the missing man.
He, however, on behalf of the Commissioner and ranks of the Royal St. Christopher and Nevis Police Force, extended sympathies to Samuel’s parents and other family members and noted that the file on his disappearance has not been closed.
The Deputy Commissioner is also calling on members of the public who might have any information on the disappearance of Andrew ‘Spinal’ Samuel Jr. to share it with the police, and that it could be done anonymously.
