Trinidad and Tobago: Venezuelan national found dead along roadside in Morvant

Trinidad and Tobago: A 23-year-old Venezuelan national was found dead on Monday morning near 1st Caledonia Road in Morvant.

The victim has been identified as Alexis Enrique Pineda. His body was discovered by some garbage collectors passing through the area shortly after 5:30 am at the corner of Tractor Hill.

Officers from the Trinidad and Tobago Police Force (TTPS) responded to information from the Command Centre while on mobile patrol about the body at around 6:15 am. They found the victim lying motionless on his back and was partially covered with a bloodstained bedsheet.

Pineda was wearing three-quarter  jeans, a white vest with visible bloodstains, with sneakers only on one of his feet.

The area was secured by the officers and investigators were also called to the location. A District Medical Officer examined the body and declared the Venezuelan national officially dead on-site.

They later removed the body and transferred it to the Forensic Science Centre for a post mortem to determine the cause and time of Pineda’s death.

Crime Scene Investigators checked the scene and found ID documents, cash, jewelry and other personal items which the police think were the decedent’s.

After preliminary investigation, police believe that the victim was killed at a separate site and was later dumped along the roadside. Officers are still probing the case and trying to determine the events that led to the murder.

Authorities are also asking members of the community with any information on the case to come forward and report to the police.

People are sharing their sympathies for the victim and his family on social media. One individual said, “Venezuelans should realize not all Trinidadians are friendly and that they should pay more attention to what is going around them. As a Trinidadian there's some places I don't go and I keep to myself. RIP.”