Linus Constantine
The mother of missing 18-year-old youth leader Linus Constantine has said she contacted the police about her son’s disappearance last week Friday, April 25 but claimed she was not provided with a missing person report form because none was available at the time.
In an exclusive interview with St. Lucia News Online (SNO) this afternoon, Juliana Goolaman said she is angry that media reports have suggested that Constantine’s family was aware he has been missing for two weeks and did not make it public until over the weekend – even after an unidentified decomposed body was discovered in Marisule, Gros Islet on April 15.
Police Information Officer Aniel Innocent told SNO today that despite her appeals via numerous media outlets since the body was discovered on Apri 15, no one came forward previously. However, Goolaman dismissed this statement, suggesting that someone did not do their job in the police department.
The mother further emphasised that the unidentified body has not yet been confirmed to be that of her son – or not. The mother said any information suggesting that the body is that of her son is inaccurate.
Goolaman however confirmed that she, along with Constantine’s father, gave “DNA mouth swabs” to the police this morning. According to the mother, she was told that the results may be ready in one or two weeks.
She also gave an explanation regarding Constantine’s sudden disappearance.
Goolaman said her son, who is originally from Foriesterre, Castries, has “three homes” and that he was last known to be staying by a friend in Corinth, Gros Islet. As a result, Goolaman said she did not suspect anything was wrong when he had not been seen in Foriesterre for sometime. However, when efforts were made to get in touch with him late last week, she said relatived learned that he had not been seen for about two weeks at either of the three “homes”.
Armed with that information, Goolaman said she called the police on Friday morning, April 25 and inquired if the police had received any information about her son’s whereabouts or if anyone had made any report of a missing person. She said she visited the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) in the afternoon to make an official missing person report but claimed no forms were available.
“I sat there for 45 minutes and they could not find a report form to give me,” she said.
Goolaman however disclosed that the police wrote the information she gave.
St. Lucia News Online broke news of Constantine’s disappearance on Sunday, April 27 after a report was posted on Facebook by Constantine’s sister Mindy Chicot.
Chicot’s post, which was published on her profile on Saturday, April 26 with a photo of her brother, stated: “Hi everyone, this is my brother Linus Y. Constantine. He has been missing for approximately two weeks now. He is a former student of the Leon Hess Comprehensive School and the Chairman of St. Lucia Youth Talk. If anyone has been in contact with him, or has seen him recently please inbox me with details or contact me on telephone number 285-5066. Please any information would be useful. Thank you.”
Chicot also published a missing poster which went viral on the social networking site.
In response to Chicot’s social media post, several person advised her to contact the police regarding the decomposing body that was discovered on the Marisule beach in Gros Islet on Tuesday, April 15 about 2 p.m. The body is yet to be identified.
Police said the body, which is that of a young male, was found covered with a sheet by a female passerby.