BODIES of Missing Elderly Men Found In Burnt-Out Vehicle In Valencia — Police On The Scene
UPDATE 3: Two (2) women are among four (4) suspects in Police custody as of today (Saturday 9th May, 2026), as investigators continue probing the murders of Kenneth Gill and Bernard Mahabir.
Samantha Toppin, a vendor at the Tunapuna Market, is believed to have played a key role in orchestrating the killings. The woman was arrested at an apartment along M.I. Trace, El Socorro, by Officers attached to the Homicide Bureau of Investigations (HBI) Region II. She was reportedly identified on CCTV footage at two (2) ATMs while withdrawing cash from the account of one of the murdered men.
Following her detention, investigators carried out a series of operations which subsequently led to the arrest of another female suspect and two (2) men in connection with the case.
Homicide Detectives are now expected to seek advice from the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) before any charges are laid.
UPDATE 2: Autopsies were conducted on Thursday 30th April, 2026 at the Forensic Science Centre, which revealed that a cause of death could not be determined for the two (2) elderly men, as only skeletal remains were recovered.
According to the pathologist, both bodies were so severely burned that only bones remained, making it impossible to establish how the men died. The remains have been reconstructed and separated to correspond to each victim. DNA testing has been ordered to formally confirm the identities of both men before their bodies are released to relatives for final rites.
UPDATE: The bodies of the men were reportedly stuffed inside the trunk of a white Nissan Tiida that was set ablaze and dumped in a bushy area off the Valencia Old Road. An ATM card linked to one of the men was used at locations in Sangre Grande and Arima prior to the discovery of the bodies, raising suspicions that robbery may have been a motive in the brutal killings.
The bodies of two (2) missing elderly men were found inside a burnt-out vehicle in Valencia this afternoon (Monday 27th April, 2026). The deceased have been identified as 67-year-old Kenneth Gill of Trincity and 71-year-old Bernard Mahabir, also known as “Sumir,” of Prescott Lane, El Dorado, Tunapuna.
The discovery this afternoon was made in North Oropouche, off Valencia Old Road, where Police located the charred shell of a vehicle with two (2) bodies inside.
The men were reported missing less than twenty-four (24) hours ago, on Sunday (26th April, 2026), triggering a frantic search by relatives.
According to reports, Gill and Mahabir were last seen on Sunday at Lopinot Village. They left the area sometime after 5:00 PM in a white Nissan Tiida (PCX 9805), with Gill behind the wheel.
A relative reportedly saw the pair driving away; however, they never reached their intended destination. Repeated attempts to contact them failed, prompting family members to raise an alarm and report the matter to Police. Officers attached to the Arouca Police Station subsequently launched an investigation into their disappearance.
Homicide investigators are now working to determine the circumstances surrounding the killings, including how the men ended up in North Oropouche and whether the vehicle found is the same one they were last seen in.
Police are urging anyone with information that may assist in the investigation to come forward and contact the Arouca Police Station.
More on this as it becomes available.
[Source: Ian Alleyne]
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