By Gemma Handy
When Yulissa Bridge braided her teenage daughter’s hair on Thursday afternoon, she did not know it would be the last time she would see her alive.
Yesterday, hours after receiving the news that her 16-year-old child had been found dead, ostensibly murdered, Yulissa’s grief was palpable as she spoke with Observer on the porch of the wooden, sunshine-coloured house that her daughter once called home.
Yenifer Bridge’s body was discovered at the side of Fig Tree Drive early Friday morning, the apparent victim of what was described as a “grievous act of violence” by Attorney General Sir Steadroy Benjamin.
Alarm bells had rung some hours prior when Yenifer’s two-year-old son was found wandering alone on Jonas Road in the early hours of Friday morning. He was taken to All Saints Police Station and later reunited with his grandmother.
Yulissa told Observer of the anguish she had suffered over the last three years since her daughter started a relationship with a man more than 10 years her senior. She said the Jennings Secondary School student would frequently pretend to be going to school – with a change of clothes stuffed in her bag – when she was in fact going to meet the man who would later father her child.
Yenifer later moved in with the man, said to be in his late 20s, a short distance away from her mother’s Gray’s Farm home. Mother-of-six Yulissa, who moved to Antigua from the Dominican Republic 13 years ago, said she had repeatedly pleaded with her daughter to end the relationship.
She told Observer she had spent hours “calling and calling” Yenifer’s phone after hearing her toddler had been found alone.
The heartbroken mother also revealed how she learnt the devastating news of Yenifer’s death.
“All of a sudden the police call me and tell me the girl not look good. The police ask me, how much baby you have? Me say six. He say, now you going to have five.
“Me tell he, she alive. He tell me, you understand what I tell you? Then me get fuh understand she died. I feel bad, I feel bad,” Yulissa said.
Police spokesman Inspector Frankie Thomas told Observer the force had received a report of a woman’s body being found in Fig Tree Drive on Friday morning. Officers and emergency medical staff were still on the scene when Observer arrived shortly after 10am.
A statement issued on Friday afternoon by the Attorney General expressed “heartfelt condolences” to the deceased’s family.
“This tragic and senseless loss of life has … cast a pall of grief over our community,” Sir Steadroy said.
“To the citizens of this community and the nation at large, I want to assure you that this grievous act of violence will not go unanswered. The full force and resources of all our law enforcement agencies have been mobilised and are actively working to investigate and resolve this matter.
“This is not just a crime against an individual; it is a crime against us all.”
Sir Steadroy pledged “no stone will be left unturned” in the pursuit of justice.
“In moments like these, it is crucial that we come together as a community. We must support one another, remain vigilant, and provide any information that may aid in the investigation. If you have any knowledge or have witnessed any suspicious activities related to this case, I urge you to come forward,” he said.
“We are also reviewing and reinforcing our security measures to prevent such tragedies in the future. This incident serves as a stark reminder of the ongoing challenges we face in ensuring public safety, and it strengthens our resolve to implement more robust and effective crime prevention strategies.”
The Attorney General added, “We will not rest until justice is achieved.”
Yenifer is the country’s sixth homicide of the year.
