One-year-old baby Jacob Munroe died of massive head injuries and his body was dumped in a cesspit behind his home after he was killed. This was the result of an autopsy on his body at the Forensic Science Centre, St James, yesterday morning. The post mortem was performed by forensic pathologist Dr Hughvon des Vignes, who also found the toddler had been smothered. Des Vignes’ report also revealed there were bruises to his buttocks, indicating he was beaten before being killed.
He, however, did not find any evidence that the child was sexually assaulted. Munroe’s autopsy was delayed after his father and mother’s relatives, who came to the centre to identify his body and witness the procedure, had a small disagreement. Munroe’s grandparents on his father’s side arrived at the centre early yesterday and identified the child’s body. When the child’s mother and her relatives arrived hours later, staff at the centre informed them they could no longer view his body.
“You should have reached here at 9 am. The next time you will see the baby is at the funeral,” an unidentified staff member said to Jacob’s mother, Cherisse Munroe, who quickly burst into tears. “How you could do that. I can’t even see my baby,” the child’s mother said to her in-laws as she stormed out of the building in tears. Both sets of relatives then engaged in a heated discourse which only ended after funeral home staff intervened.
When a team from the T&T Guardian visited the centre to speak to relatives they all refused to comment. “We were not there. Read the newspapers. Whatever the police said there is the truth,” the father’s relatives said when asked for comment. According to police reports, on Tuesday afternoon Munroe’s relative contacted St Joseph Police saying the child was kidnapped from the family’s home at Santarita Trace, Lluengo Village, Maracas, St Joseph.
The relative claimed three men entered the house, assaulted him and demanded he hand over a gun he was hiding for someone. The men then grabbed the child and fled the house, Around 1.30 pm on Wednesday, police investigating the child’s disappearance, searched the family’s property where they found the child’s body, which was wrapped in purple cloth, in a cesspit. The relative was taken to the Eric Williams Medical Sciences Complex, Mt Hope, where he remains warded in a stable condition and under police guard.
Homicide detectives said they did not believe the relative’s version of the events and were expected to interrogate him once he was discharged from hospital. Insp Mark Maharaj, Sgts Rene Katwaroo and Vetus Hernandez of the Northern Division are investigating.