Principal editor, investigative table
Andrea Bharatt’s family was waiting for answers about the death of the 23-year-old Arima Magistrate’s clerk, but an autopsy performed yesterday at the Forensic Science Center by pathologist Dr. Sonu-Sekhar Gajula proved inconclusive.
This means that, at this stage, the police cannot charge anyone with murder.
The main suspect, who was on bail when the police arrested him, despite having more than 45 cases pending in court, died yesterday in the hospital.
Bharatt’s tragic end unleashed a wave of sadness and anger across the country five days after his decomposed body was found on a precipice in the Aripo Hills last Wednesday after she was kidnapped by two men in Arima on 29 of January.
Homicide investigators told the Guardian Media that, due to the advanced state of decomposition of the body, they could not say with certainty how she died.
Sources say Bharatt’s face was badly decomposed and there appeared to be several animal bites on his body.
However, samples were collected for testing to determine whether the young woman was sexually abused.
Private autopsy
Guardian Media understands that Bharatt’s family posted on social media last night that they decided to do a second autopsy and activist Inshan Ishmael later indicated that he and two others will fund the autopsy to be done today.
Andrea’s father, Randolph Bharatt, arrived at the Forensic Science Center in St James shortly before 9 am and shortly after 11.15 am he was driven out of the compound in an unmarked police vehicle.
When Guardian Media contacted Bharatt after lunch yesterday, he said politely, “I just want to be alone now. I need time for myself. “
As the investigation now remains at a delicate stage, Guardian Media asked Commissioner Gary Griffith, how can the results of this autopsy affect the investigation? He replied, “patience”.
Homicide investigators told the Guardian Media that there are two suspects remaining in custody after Andrew Morris’s death last week and, most recently, top suspect Joel Balcon, 37, who died at Eric Williams Medical Science Complex around from 2:20 pm yesterday, according to the press release from the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service (TTPS).
Main suspect in Andrea Bharatt’s kidnapping, Joel Balcon
The Guardian had reported exclusively for several days that Balcon, who was injured while in police custody, had suffered spinal injuries and was unconscious since he was admitted to the hospital.
Balcon, who had a long list of crimes, including rape, kidnapping, robbery, theft and firearms issues, was the main person who planned the kidnapping that later ended with Bharatt’s death. According to the TTPS press release of the 70 initial charges, 45 of them were still pending in court.
Investigators of Andrea’s death and kidnapping indicated in an exclusive Guardian Media story last Saturday that they believed Balcon used the Aripo Hills as a garbage dump after Bharatt’s body was found there.
This discovery led to two searches on Friday and Sunday, where the police recovered three sets of remains that were sent for testing.
Balcon suspects in
murder of ex-lover
They believe that Balcon may also have been responsible for the disappearance and murder of other women, including Teri “Smurfette” Gomez, who disappeared in January 2008.
Balcon, according to Gomez’s relatives, had a child with her and beat her several times during the relationship.
Investigators involved in several filed cases say they will turn their attention to missing women in eastern Trinidad, who may have been murdered and never found.
A senior homicide source said the Balcon autopsy is due to be performed on Thursday due to COVID regulations.
Although Homicide investigators expanded their investigation into Balcon’s activities, sources informed Guardian Media about new information about the investigation into Bharatt’s death, in which the remaining two suspects – a man and his wife – remain in police custody.
Sources familiar with the case said that, contrary to what was reported in another newspaper, Morris did not withdraw any money from Trincity’s ATM.
Senior investigators revealed that Balcon and the other suspect had driven to a savannah in Bon Air Arouca, where they met the suspect’s wife the night Bharatt disappeared.
Balcon later gave the couple the Bharatt bank card and they went to the ATM in Trincity, where they withdrew about $ 5,000 before returning to find Balcon in the savanna.
Andrea Bharatt
With Bharatt still alive in the back seat, this is where the suspect and his wife received Bharatt’s personal belongings, including jewelry.
It was those personal jewels that the police later found in possession of the suspect, which has since been widely questioned by investigators.
Sources say the couple later drove in a Tiida car after returning the card to Balcon – which sources say they withdrew an additional $ 5,000 on Saturday morning from Bharatt’s account before returning the rental car that had been borrowed from Morris.
Morris autopsy results
Guardian Media also obtained the results of Morris’s autopsy, which indicated that he died of blunt trauma to the head and body.
The detailed autopsy, according to sources, allegedly revealed that he suffered several broken ribs, a bruise on his right eye, leg damage, brain fractures, bleeding from internal organs and burn marks on his back (possibly from a taser), shoulders severely damaged and bleeding from internal organs.
Morris’s family claimed he was beaten by officers from the Special Operations Response Team (SORT) when they arrested him two days after Bharatt was kidnapped.
They also claimed that he was beaten while in custody at Malabar Police Station.
Police commissioner Gary Griffith told the media that Morris was sick and fell off a chair and then died.
He said Morris acted violently when SORT police tried to subdue him on his Tumpuna road in Arima on Jan. 31, after detaining him in Bharatt’s kidnapping.
Police Complaints Authority Director David West told Guardian Media that they are conducting three separate investigations, as he indicated that Morris’s death will be analyzed separately, Balcon’s death will be the basis for a second investigation and a third The investigation will be launched as to why the police did not file or appear in court on several of the matters that Balcon had, which were later dismissed by the courts.
Police Commissioner Gary Griffith