(Trinidad Guardian) Homicide and senior Central Division officers were at Cashew Gardens, Longdenville, late last night where the body of missing 13-year-old Joash Pantin was found.
Pantin’s body was found in some bushes a few metres away from his home in an area known as “Cashew on the Hill” around 8 pm.
Speaking with the T&T Guardian last night a resident, who wished not to be named, said she knew Pantin well. She said the children in the community said they last saw him on Saturday when he went to the community centre to play football, a routine for him.
The resident said Pantin came from a humble home.
“He was one of the loving and kindest children you would have ever come across. So, intelligent. He was very interested in science and robotics and could have told you exactly how a helicopter operates,” the resident said.
“At first when he moved into the area he never talked that much but as he started to come by the community centre and began interacting with the kids around he eventually settled in and settled in very nicely. He became so talkative and very inquisitive in learning new things.”
Pantin was last seen at about 7.30 pm, on Saturday and was reported missing to the Longdenville Police Post on Sunday by his mother and grandmother.
A party of police officers including ASP Wayne Mystar was on the scene. The District Medical Officer (DMO) viewed the body and ordered its removal to the Forensic Science Centre where an autopsy will be conducted.
A senior officer said they are not ruling out any motive at this time but said the boy suffered from asthma and was reportedly known to get serious attacks at times. The officer said the DMO could determine a cause of death as the body was in an advanced state of decomposition.
Investigations are continuing.
