Woman attacked, son, 12, released hours after being abducted Manhunt on for suspect

The family of 12-year-old Prince Burke breathed a sigh of relief last night, after the man who had held him captive for several hours set him free in the hills of Dibe, Long Circular, St James.

With a joint force of police and soldiers hunting the suspect down, after he attacked the boy’s mother, Anna Innis-Burke, hours earlier before abducting her son, the suspect released the boy just after 7 pm.

The boy subsequently made his way to a relative’s home.

The manhunt for the suspect continued last evening.

According to police, the incident stemmed from a domestic violence dispute.

Police have identified Jassany Baptiste, a repeat criminal offender, as a person of interest in the case.

Police said the suspect in the case attacked Innis-Burke, dragging her out of her house and forcing her to walk towards Long Circular Road, near Belle Vue Road, where she was stabbed multiple times.

Luckily, eyewitnesses intervened, causing the suspect to abandon his attack and flee the scene. However, the suspect is alleged to have vowed to return to the woman’s home to kill her son.

Speaking to Guardian Media after being discharged from the hospital, where she was treated for multiple stab wounds, Innis-Burke recalled what transpired.

She said the incident occurred at 2 am at her Dibe, Long Circular Road home, when the suspect, whom she had broken off a previous relationship with, began knocking on her front door. Anna was with her son, who was asleep at the time.

She said she attempted to call the police but the man broke down the door and gained access to her home. When he entered, he told her not to make any noise, threatening to stab her son.

“He had a tie strap in his hand, like he had planned everything before he left the house. When he came back, he had the tie strap and said, ‘Tonight is it; today is it.’ Then he asked, ‘How do you want this to go? Do you want me to kill you and your son? Should I kill your son in front of you and make you watch, then kill you?’ I was pleading, ‘No, no.’ That’s when he picked up a small knife from the kitchen and started stabbing me,” she said.

Innis-Burke said things worsened after the man found her phone and realised she had attempted to call the police. He then ordered her to put on clothes and forced her to walk to Long Circular Road.

“We walked until we reached the Ambassador Hotel, and it felt like he wanted to take me there to kill me. When we got there, he kept telling me to hurry up. I didn’t want to go inside because I knew there was no one there to save me, but I tried to walk as fast as possible, hoping to keep him away from my son,” she said.

She added, “Instinct kicked in, and I thought, ‘I can’t go there because he’ll kill me.’ I heard a vehicle approaching and started to run but it drove right past. He chased after me, shoved me to the ground and began stabbing me. “This happened right by Belle Vue Road corner. As he was stabbing me, a van—like one of those bread vans—passed by. There was a woman in the front seat and a man driving. They realised what was happening because I was falling in the middle of the road, and they saw the attack unfold.”

The two individuals in the van assisted Innis-Burke, causing the suspect to flee.

She begged her rescuers to allow her to return to her Dibe home but she was bleeding profusely and was taken to St James Medical Centre.

Those who assisted her alerted officers from the Trinidad and Tobago Defence Force stationed at the nearby Camp Ogden on Long Circular Road, prompting them to spring into action. However, by the time they arrived at the woman’s home, both Prince and the suspect were nowhere to be found.

Prince was last seen leaving with the suspect in the direction of a river and forested area behind his house at 5.10 am. Innis-Burke’s stepmother, Rena Baharat, saw the two leaving but did not think something was wrong at the time.

“He’s very well-mannered and quiet, never in trouble. He loves football—we all love football. I don’t feel good about this situation at all because I’m always on my toes, always observant. I didn’t see anything unusual, nothing at all to indicate that something was wrong. Of course, I feel guilty being here. I rushed to the hospital as soon as other family members arrived,” Baharat told Guardian Media as she recalled the incident.

Baharat praised law enforcement, stating, “We saw the drones and everything else but I’m not sure about the police. I do know that the Coast Guard has helicopters equipped with large magnifying glasses.

“The area is very dense, incredibly dense, and that’s the one thing we haven’t seen yet. Overall, the armed forces and everyone involved are doing a great job. They’ve gone out twice, and it’s been hours now, but they still haven’t returned.”

She pleaded at the time for the teenager to be returned home.

Baharat said, “He’s never been in the bush; he’s not a bush child, like his mother, uncles, and brothers. Since 5.10 am we’ve been worried about whether he’s had a drink of water or eaten anything. The guys who came out of the bush are all scratched up, so we really don’t know what he’s been through. We’re just hoping for the best, that he comes home soon, especially as it’s getting dark.”

Officers from the Special Investigations Unit, the Guard and Emergency Branch and the K9 Unit were assisted by personnel using drones to track the suspect and victim. The Inter-Agency Task Force was also involved.

“We are very concerned about the safety of the young man involved in this matter,” said Assistant Commissioner of Police Curt Simon.

Additionally, the Special Victims Unit was brought in to help address the trauma caused by the incident.

This incident came after Tara Ramsaroop, 34, and her 14-month-old daughter, Jada Motilal, were tragically murdered on Tuesday in Barrackpore. That violent attack occurred at a male relative’s home. Ramsaroop was said to have been a victim of domestic abuse.

The post Woman attacked, son, 12, released hours after being abducted Manhunt on for suspect first appeared on CNC3.