Murder charge filed in 2019 disappearance of Gros Islet man, no body recovered
Kiril Didier has been charged with the murder of Cletus "Banana Split" Hippolyte, missing since September 2019. No remains have been found nearly seven years on.
Gros Islet man charged with murder over cold case disappearance
Kiril Didier has been charged with murder in connection with the disappearance of 83-year-old Cletus "Banana Split" Hippolyte, St Lucia Times reports — a case that has gone unsolved for nearly seven years with no body ever recovered.
Didier was formally charged on Thursday, November 5, one day after an identification parade was held. The Royal Saint Lucia Police Force (RSLPF) had detained him on Tuesday, November 3, during a targeted operation. He is expected to appear before the court for a bail hearing.
Hippolyte went missing from his home in Gros Islet in September 2019. His disappearance triggered extensive police investigations and search operations at the time, but his whereabouts were never established and his remains have not been found.
The RSLPF confirmed in a Friday statement that the case had been recently reopened by the Gangs, Narcotics and Firearms Unit (GNFU), after officers pursued new leads. Police have not disclosed what those leads revealed or what evidence prompted the murder charge against Didier.
The RSLPF is appealing to anyone with information relevant to the investigation to contact the nearest police station.
Source: St Lucia Times