Police in Trinidad and Tobago found the remains of at least 50 infants and six adults in a cemetery on Saturday.
The bodies appear to have been dumped in a cemetery at Cumuto, on the island of Trinidad, about 40 kilometers (25 miles) east of the capital Port of Spain.
What did the police say when the dead body was found in Trinidad?
“This may be a case related to the illegal disposal of unclaimed bodies,” the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service (TTPS) said in a statement.
The TTPS said the bodies were four male and two female adults. The paws of five adult bodies had tags similar to those put on dead bodies in morgues.
Two of those bodies – a man and a woman – had signs that they had been autopsied.
Police did not say whether any bodies had been identified.
Police said, “This is an active and developing investigation, and further forensic analysis is underway to determine the origin of the remains and any associated violations of law or procedure.”
Alistair Guevaro said the horrific discovery was “extremely disturbing”.
“Each body must be handled with respect and legal care,” Guevaro said. “Any individual or entity found to be in breach of that duty will be held fully accountable.”
He said the police were treating the case with “promptness, sensitivity and unwavering commitment to uncovering the truth.”
Trinidad and Tobago grapples with increase in violent crime
The English-speaking Caribbean nation, made up of two islands located about 10 kilometers (six miles) off the coast of Venezuela, has struggled with gang violence in recent years.
Last month, Prime Minister Kamala Prasad-Bissessar’s government extended the state of emergency that was first imposed until December 2024.
The country, which is home to 1.5 million people, recorded 623 murders in 2024.
The US State Department said the country was the sixth most dangerous country in the world in 2023, with a murder rate of 37 per 100,000.
Edited by: Alex Berry