Tricia Chattergoon clutched a teddy bear belonging to her daughter Rei, from which she sought solace to cope with Rei’s tragic end at her Gran Couva home, yesterday.
Rei, ten, a United States citizen drowned while bathing with relatives at Indian Bay, Guayaguayare, on Thursday.
Her tiny body resurfaced yesterday morning at South Water Line, Stone Bright Village, a few hundred metres from where she disappeared.
A grieving Tricia, eyes glazed, peered through a window at her Pepper Village, Gran Couva, home, telling reporters that she was too distraught to speak about her tragic loss.
According to reports, Rei and other relatives were on a family outing around 4.30 pm, when her uncle went into the water for a swim, unaware the curious youngster was trailing behind.
Speaking by telephone yesterday afternoon, Tricia said her daughter, Rei, was born in Trinidad but lives with her, her father, sister and two brothers in the US. She was here on vacation and was supposed to return on August 11 in time for school.
“She is everything a mother would ask for in a child. She was beautiful, bright, intelligent, smart. She loved animals, she loved people, she was very kind, willing, loving, athletic and well mannered child.”
Although police reports stated that Rei was on the beach with her mother, Tricia said she was not there when the accident happened. She said Rei was with other adults at the time.
As she reached approximately eight feet away from the shore, she began struggling to stay afloat and despite a frantic dash by her father to save her, the strong currents pulled her underwater. Divers from the Coast Guard joined relatives, neighbours and villagers in a desperate search, but they could not find her before nightfall.
As the search resumed around 5.30 am yesterday, a neighbour found her body on the shore.
WPC MC Cain of the Mayaro Police Station is continuing inquiries.
Parents need to be vigilant
Coast Guard public relations officer Lt Cmdr Kirk Jean-Baptiste urged parents taking their children to beaches, rivers and pools to be vigilant during the school vacation. He stressed that beaches along the East Coast can be quite rough as it is where the Atlantic Ocean meets land.
He said parents needed to equip their children with life vests and ensure they are properly supervised.