Man finds a clue to parents' missing graves

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After spending two days searching for the exact spot where his parents were buried, Kwencyd Sookram finally found a clue on Wednesday.

The cross which marked the spot where Veroni and Johnny Henry had been laid to rest side-by-side, was found alongside a drain on the periphery of the Roodal Cemetery.

The cemetery had been disturbed by a contractor involved in earthworks for the San Fernando Waterfront project.

Speaking to Guardian Media on Wednesday, Sookram said the San Fernando City Corporation sent a team on Tuesday and marked and measured the plots. They showed him a spot where his parents could have been buried but he was unsure whether that was the exact location.

But Sookram said after searching on his own, he found the cross lying in the drain which showed where their remains were lying.

Upset that the spot had been desecrated, Sookram said he has since sought legal advice and planned to sue both the Corporation and the contractor for damaging his parents’ graves.

Sookram said his father Johnny died two years ago at the age of 95 while his mother died in 2016. Their caskets were placed next to each other near some palm trees.

“It is disheartening to know that they lived long happy lives, married to each other for 65 years and now when they are resting, they cannot rest because there is construction on top of them,” he said.

Sookram added, ” A representative for the contractor called and said they will measure back the spots and make me as comfortable and satisfied as possible.

I am going to ask them if they can do an underground scan to find the right spot of my parents. That row where my parents were buried were row 18 and numbers 50 and 48 are the spots. There were no new graves there except for my parents from what I understand.”

Since the story was published, Sookram said another relative reached out saying her relative’s grave was also affected.

A contractor has been clearing away the mound of dirt from the side of the cemetery and has been restoring the graves with the assistance of the San Fernando City Corporation.