IT would take a miracle to recover two-year-old Angelo Tobias Plaza in Tobago.So said Homeland Security Minister Roger Alexander, who added that losing sight of what was believed to be the child’s body last Tuesday at Goodwood Bay during the search at sea impacted retrieval.“At this time it would be somewhat merely impossible to find the child, and if he is found it might be more considered a miracle because at the first sighting of what seemed to be a sighting from the Fire Service, I think it was on Tuesday of last week, it was in the area where there was a lot of seaweed; and by the time they went and try to retrieve the body, it was gone,” Alexander told the Express yesterday.
PNM Tobago Council Political Leader Shamfa Cudjoe-Lewis at Tuesday’s candlelight vigil at Goodwood Bay. Photos by Elizabeth Williams.
However, he hinted that closure in the matter is near.“At least the police would have made a very valuable contribution as it relates to the investigation in this matter because everybody wanted closure and it has reached a stage where they are beginning to see closure in this matter. It is very heart-wrenching to see the child come to this, but then there are lessons here to be learnt.”He offered condolences in the matter. “Let me send my condolences to all of Tobago and the family that was not directly involved in this...in the disappearance of this child,” he said.He also praised the work of law enforcement in the case.“But let me say this. Excellent work done by the Assistant Commissioner of Police for Tobago, Mr Rishi Singh and his team, Tobago investigators.“It’s a coordinated effort by joint agencies, the Fire Service, agencies from the Defence Force, the Coast Guard, TEMA, Hunters Search and Rescue Team. It’s a whole collaborated effort that cause this to reach to this level...excellent work,” he said.Alexander said a situation like this involving the country’s children must never happen again.Yesterday, officers revisited Goodwood Bay, while TEMA conducted drone searches along the coastline of the bay as investigations continue into the disappearance of Angelo. Investigators probing the disappearance of the child, who has been missing since May 11, have detained seven people in connection with the case—three women and four men.
