A domestic dispute has left a 32-year-old mother of one fighting for her life in the hospital, while people search for the suspect, who is believed to have ingested a poisonous substance shortly after the attack on December 27.
The woman, Christine Chadee, was still in the ICU at the Eric Williams Medical Sciences Complex in Mt Hope on December 29.
The attack occurred at the family's home on Dalphus Avenue in Palmiste, Chaguanas, around 3 pm on December 27.
For the past few months, Chadee had relocated to a relative's home in Freeport, and her son had been spending time with the suspect, a close relative.
She had gone to the house in Palmiste to collect her ten-year-old son, who was outside playing with toys he had received for the Christmas holidays.
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Chadee and the suspect were inside the house, and shortly after, the suspect walked out from the back door. He accompanied the boy to a close relative of Chadee, a short distance away, and told the child not to return for at least ten minutes.
The suspect then walked along the street, which is sparsely populated and has poor roads. No one has seen him since.
The son somehow sensed that Chadee was in danger and ran to the house. However, the front door was locked, so he used the back door to get inside.
He found his mother badly wounded and alerted other relatives.
She was rushed to the Chaguanas Health Facility and later transferred to the hospital.
On December 29, Newsday visited the families of both the suspect and the victim.
Both families spoke of a "toxic relationship" and made several allegations.
One of Chadee's relatives said the suspect left her to die, adding that the house belonged to her family.
"She was moaning and groaning on the bed. She is doing better for the time being, but she is still critical and in an induced coma. She underwent surgery, and her brain is swollen," the relative said.
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The relative also advised anyone in a toxic relationship to leave before it is too late and always seek a partner who is a God-fearing person.
A close relative of the suspect recalled that at 3.16 pm, the suspect called him to relay what had happened.
"As soon as I answered the phone, I heard him telling someone to watch the child for ten minutes," the relative said.
"Right is right, and wrong is wrong. What he did was wrong. He said he was not going to make a jail. He said if she does not die, she will not be in good condition. There is a back story to this. There are some things men are ashamed to report to the police."
The relative said he tried to find out the suspect's whereabouts, but the suspect did not budge. Instead, the suspect expressed his love for relatives, including his siblings, saying they would find his body.
In another phone call minutes later, the suspect said he was feeling weak.
All subsequent calls went unanswered.
Relatives and the NGO Hunters Search and Rescue Team, led by Vallence Rambharat, have been searching the Palmiste and Carlsen Field areas for the suspect.
The Central Division police are investigating.
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