Petrotrin yesterday offered counselling services to the relatives of baby Jadon Cudjoe and employees after the child was discovered dead in his grandfather’s car at its Penal facility on Wednesday. The state-run oil company, in a statement to the T&T Guardian, also extended condolences to the family of the 16-month-old child and indicated that investigations were still ongoing.
The release stated that around 4.50 pm on Wednesday, Petrotrin Health Safety and Environment (HSE), fire and state police were informed of the death of little Jadon. His grandfather, the release stated, is an employee of the Electrical Department at Petrotrin’s Clarke Road, Penal facility. It added that Petrotrin Employee Assistance Programme Services Limited (PEAPSL) had extended counselling services to the Cudjoe family, as well as to the co-workers of the child’s grandfather.
Yesterday when the T&T Guardian visited the family’s Old Quinam Road, Aquat Village, Penal, home, female relatives were mum on the baby’s death. Relatives said they had nothing to say about what happened to the baby nor did they want to give media personnel a photo of the child. At the time, preparations were being made for wake and a white tent was set-up outside the home.
According to police sources, the child’s grandfather remained in police custody last evening as he was still being interviewed. Officers said a file was being prepared to take to the Director of Public Prosecutions for instructions on whether charges of criminal negligence should be laid against him. A male relative, who did not want to be named, said the family had not been told why the grandfather was being kept in police custody.
Police reports stated that the man, of Old Quinam Road, Aquat Village, Penal, was supposed to drop off the child at the home of a relative, who is the child’s regular babysitter, on Tuesday morning. However, on his way to work he received news that he was being promoted and he forgot that the child was strapped in the back seat of the car and headed to his office. He parked in the parking lot at around 7.30 am put up his windows and locked the car doors.
At 4 pm he returned to his vehicle and discovered the child dead in the backseat.