12-year-old girl murdered in Erin after being placed in driver's care

Twelve-year-old Mercedez Layne, a student at Erin RC School, was reported missing on June 6 in south Trinidad and found dead the following day. A 26-year-old Palo Seco man is in police custody.

12-year-old girl murdered in Erin after being placed in driver's care

The body of 12-year-old Mercedez Layne was discovered on June 7, ending a large-scale search that began after she went missing in the Erin district of south Trinidad.

Mercedez, a pupil at Erin RC School, was reported missing on Saturday, June 6. She was last seen after being entrusted to a driver who was expected to take her home.

The search operation involved the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service, the Hunters Search and Rescue Team, and community volunteers. Her remains were found the next day.

A suspect, a 26-year-old man from Palo Seco, is currently in police custody. Publicly available forensic details remain limited, and investigators have not released the suspect's name.

The killing has drawn comparisons to past child murders in Trinidad and Tobago, including six-year-old Sean Luke in 2006 and 11-year-old Akiel Chambers in 1998.

Source: Trinidad Guardian

Source: Google News TT — Crime