Ms. Taitu Goodwin
Just when one tragic death or homicide in Island Harbour was being investigated by the police and lamented by the public, another, causing further pain not only in Anguilla but outside the island, occurred five days later.
The first homicide, allegedly caused by stabbing and reported by the police, was that of 31-year-old Javid Frazer which occurred at 7.30 pm on Wednesday, September 4. As a result, a 42-year-old man was arrested and is assisting the police with their investigations.
The second homicide, also said to have been allegedly caused by stabbing, was that of 27-year-old Ms Taitu Goodwin whose body was found at Windward Point, east of Island Harbour. A 22-year-old man was arrested and is assisting the police with their investigations.
Ms Goodwin’s death has been widely publicised due to her standing in the Anguillian community where she lived and worked – as well as in Antigua, her birthplace, where her father, Mr Bruce Goodwin, is a former Ambassador.
In Anguilla, Ms Goodwin, a former 2012 Miss Anguilla Pageant Queen, held the post of Trade and Investment Officer in the Ministry of Finance. The holder of a LLM degree, she was a graduate of Lyon Catholic University and St. John’s University. According to her Facebook profile, she was “well-versed in international commercial law and regulations with excellent and extensive legal knowledge”.
Her violent death drew words of condolences from Premier and Minister of Finance, Mr Victor Banks, and Deputy Governor, Mr Perin Bradley – and expressions of shock, concern and disbelief among fellow public servants and in the community at large.
The killings of the above victims are the fourth and fifth homicides in Anguilla for 2019.
