Family recalls joy baby Sariah brought before tragic end

3305645

Baby Sariah Williams was supposed to be the belle at the ball during her brother’s birthday party yesterday.

Her aunt Kamaria Simon bought her a new dress and a pair of sandals and had planned to style her hair with pretty clips.

But, in a cruel twist of fate, Simon now has to find an “angelic” outfit to dress her niece’s body for her funeral.

Little Sariah was chopped in the head by a relative during a domestic dispute at her grandmother’s Sion Drive, Tarodale Hills, Ste Madeleine home on Sunday night.

Relatives believe that the suspect meant to kill Sariah’s grandmother Michelle Williams, 50, but in his rage chopped the baby.

Through her pain, Simon still managed to smile yesterday as she recalled the joy Sariah brought to their lives during an interview with reporters at their home.

“When I found out my sister was pregnant with a girl I was excited. I have other nieces, but I was excited because a new baby was coming, I could spoil her. I used to take her from her mother every day. Even on Saturday I bought an outfit and a pair of sandals for her. I tried it on her on Sunday morning. Today is her bigger brother’s fourth birthday. We had planned a party for him today but we cancelled. We might just buy cake and ice cream and snacks for him.”

Although the suspect was “aggressive and toxic” and she sometimes had to defend her mother during his violent outbursts, Simon said he showed the children love.

But now, she is questioning whether he ever truly loved them.

“From what I saw, he chopped my mother knowing she had the baby on she. So I don’t know if he had really loved the kids or if he was putting on a show. You can’t tell me you seeing a woman with a baby and still chop.”

Lamenting the pain that Sariah’s mother, seven siblings and other relatives are now going through, she said she cannot forgive the suspect despite their close family relation.

Recalling that on Sunday day he spent the day with Sariah, she said, “My niece now start to walk. She hair now start to grow. She get teeth. Why would we forgive, even if he have some kind of sympathy. His sympathy have nothing to do with us because this is an innocent baby.”

However, she said he showed no remorse when the police arrested him.

Simon said Sariah’s mother and siblings are not coping well.

“One of Sariah’s brothers, who is about three, he keeps asking for Sariah. My other nieces and them saw when she died. Everyone is frustrated. One of my nephews who is 13 years old said that he wished that it was him instead of Sariah.”

While the police are giving them words of comfort and counselling will be appreciated, Simon lamented, “But there is nothing anyone can do to make the mother feel better. Nothing anyone can do can bring back her daughter. Anyone can come. Prayers are good but I do not think anything anyone can do can make her feel better. Maybe for a second, or a minute but nothing really.”

In an interview on Monday, Williams said the suspect had abused her for more than two decades but apart from taking out a protection order about ten years ago, she never reported the abuse to the police.

She said in the days leading up to Sunday’s attack he had made several threats to kill her and on the day of the incident, he sent a photo on her cell phone of him holding a cutlass. (See editorial on page 12)

Williams, a mother of seven, recalled that when she got home from work, he began cursing and quarrelling because he was helping her daughter Nikita (Sariah’s mother) wash the wares.

While he was still ranting, Williams went into the gallery with Nikita. Sariah was sitting on her (Williams) lap when the relative rushed out of living room swinging a cutlass.

She said Sariah got chopped first. Nikita grabbed her and dropped to ground, using her body to shield her daughter.

As she used her hands to shield herself, Nikita and Sariah, from the cutlass, Williams got chopped on her left fingers and right wrist.

On hearing the commotion, relatives and neighbours ran to their rescue and the suspect locked himself in a room until the police arrived.

Little Sariah died at the San Fernando General Hospital while being treated.

Relatives were told that an autopsy is carded for today at the Forensic Science Centre in St James.

Meanwhile, the police took a statement from the grandmother yesterday. Investigations are continuing.