Royal Cayman Islands Police Officers said Saturday that a search at the George Town landfill for a missing government worker had largely been completed, and the areas surrounding the dump would now be searched.
Police and volunteers began searching the
landfill for the missing Department of Environmental Health worker, identified as Anna Evans, late Thursday and continued into the wee hours of Friday.
By mid-morning Friday a group of dozens of
volunteer searchers, mostly friends and family of Mrs. Evans who had been there the previous night,
returned to assist police in the search at the landfill.
“Whether she is dead or if she’s alive, we
just want to know,” said Margaret Carmola, Mrs. Evans’ aunt. “We’re not
going to leave her.”
Unfortunately, police said, bogus BBM messages were circulating the Islands Friday claiming that a body had been recovered. Those were not true, officers said.
By mid-day Saturday there had been no word of Mrs. Evans being found.
Royal Cayman
Islands Police received a report Thursday evening that the 37-year-old
George Town woman was missing.
Mrs.
Evans was last seen around noon Thursday at the landfill where she worked, police
said.
Friends and family began
searching for her when she didn’t return home from work Thursday. Police
were notified shortly after 6pm Thursday. They responded to the
night-time search at the landfill around 10.30pm.
By 7.30am Friday, the RCIPS
helicopter was up over the landfill assisting police and volunteer
search teams. Volunteers spent Thursday night looking through areas
where it was believed Mrs. Evans might have been working.
According to police, Mrs. Evans’ handbag had
been left in a work shack at the landfill site. By mid-day Friday
nothing else had been recovered by search teams. Police marine patrols
searching the shore area near the landfill had also found nothing by
that point either.
“Anna! Anna!”
searchers called as they trudged through mounds of garbage with walking
sticks sifting through the muck. “Please, Lord, just help us to find
Anna!”
“Everything she did was for
her kids,” said Mrs. Carmola, who broke down in tears at one point
during the search. “She didn’t bother nobody, she just went to work and
to church. It was just her and her children.”
Chief Officer of the Ministry of District
Administration Kearney Gomez – who was involved in the landfill searches
until 2.30am Friday – was back on site around 8am Friday.
Mr. Gomez said Mrs. Evans works as a
‘spotter’ at the dump; meaning she directs
dump trucks where to make their deposits.
He said everyone at the landfill was worried
about Mrs. Evans, who has a total of five children between the ages of
18 and six.
“It’s very unusual that
she didn’t go home Thursday night,” Mr. Gomez said. “I think she has two
children, two young boys, living with her.”
“The volunteer searchers out here (Thursday) night
were very irate,” he added.
Other
landfill workers said they believed Mrs. Evans’ youngest two children
were staying with family members for the time being.
According to residents who live near Mrs.
Evans’ home on July Street in Windsor Park, a large crowd of people
gathered in the area Thursday night; many of them aware of her
disappearance.
Police said that Mrs. Evans’ husband was assaulted at a location on McField Lane Thursday by approximately ten individuals.
He was taken to the hospital Thursday night
for treatment for facial injuries. Doctors said his injuries were not
life-threatening.
Police said the man
was not under arrest, but that they wished to question him in connection
with Mrs. Evans’ disappearance. Those queries would have to wait until
his condition improved, officers said.
RCIPS Chief Inspector Richard Barrow said
police believe the husband had been assaulted by people who thought he
had something to do with Mrs. Evans’ disappearance.
Mr. Barrow said that police were
investigating the assault and intended to make arrests.
One man who lives in the area said there had
been disturbances at the home on July Street before.
Police could not immediately confirm
whether they had responded to calls to service at the July Street home
previously, but family members said Mrs. Evans and her husband had a
history of disputes.
Mrs. Evans is
described as 5’7 ” in height, dark
complexion, slim build.
When she
arrived for work Thursday she was wearing
blue denim jeans and a dark jacket.
She
was carrying a black and white handbag.
On arrival at work she changed into her uniform – grey pants and a grey
and
orange shirt.
Police have set up a
dedicated telephone number for any
information regarding Mrs. Evans disappearance. That number is 526 0911.
Some garbage collections were carried out
Friday morning and deposited at the landfill, but
were later halted as no new materials are being dumped at the landfill
while the
search is going on, according to the Department of Environmental
Health.
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