By Indrawattie Natram

THE most loving day of the year, Valentine’s Day, ended in tragedy for the Jaigobin family, after one of their grandsons drowned in a nearby trench.

Dead is Ricardo Jaigobin, two, of Reliance Seawall, Essequibo Coast. The incident occurred at around 10:00hrs on Thursday. Ricardo was the fifth child for his parents.

According to his mother, Shavanie Persaud, her son left to visit his grandmother, Basmattie Sooknarine, but never returned. The houses are in the same yard and is located next to a black water trench.

The mother, who is pregnant, said her mother-in-law raised an alert that her son was missing. Struggling to control her tears, the grandmother related that the toddler was left in his grandfather’s care when he suddenly disappeared.

“His grandfather was picking bora in the garden. I just showered, so I went inside to change my clothes. I heard my husband speaking to my grandson while he was picking the bora, then when I come out, I did not see him. I asked my husband where he went but he said he just saw him,” the tearful grandmother related.

After the child could not be found, a search was conducted around the neighbourhood but he was nowhere to be seen. The child’s father went into the nearby trench that is located next to their house, and found him at the bottom of the water.

“It was shocking, I was right there and I didn’t hear no plunge, nothing. We are always careful of the grands and the water; we supposed to fence our yard but the money wasn’t there. I totally regret not doing that,” the grandfather said.

The child’s body was retrieved from the trench and was taken to the Suddie Public Hospital where it was certified dead by doctors. The body is at the Suddie Hospital Mortuary awaiting a post-mortem examination.