(Trinidad Express) A woman was found dead with her hands tied in a car in Tobago which had been on fire earlier.
The body of Deborah Gopaul, an employee of Jade Distributors, was found in a black Mazda on the Claude Noel Highway near Lowlands, Tobago, on Tuesday night.
Tobago police have classified Gopaul’s death as a homicide but not yet a murder.
The murder toll in Tobago remained at five for the year so far up to last night.
Police noted, though, that her hands were bound and the car she was found in had previously been on fire.
She was not gagged, they said.
When the flames were extinguished by fire service personnel around 10 p.m. Tuesday, the body of Gopaul was observed in the front passenger seat of her car.
Friends of Gopaul said they were puzzled about where the car was found because she had been followed home by another Jade Distributors employee to ensure she was safe.
However, later Tuesday night, the black Mazda 323 car she drove was not at home when checks were made, police said.
Gopaul’s sister and brother-in-law visited the scene and identified her body but were said to be too distraught to speak with reporters.
Employees of Jade Distributors were emotional yesterday over her death.
They remembered Gopaul as a quiet lady.
Her employer, former Tobago Chamber of Commerce chairman Diane Hadad, was said to be inconsolable over the death of her employee, who had been with the company for over ten years.
Supt Jackman told the Express an autopsy is to be performed to determine Gopaul’s exact cause of death.
Jackman said there were no signs of gunshot wounds or stab wounds on her body.
