By Robert A Emmanuel
The mother of 24-year-old Noah Hurst has expressed frustration at the apparent lack of police support in the search for her missing son who was last seen on May 23.
Maria Hurst of Lightfoot was speaking on Observer AM yesterday.
“When I didn’t see him on Wednesday [May 24], on Thursday, I went straight to the Police Headquarters to make a report, and then they said they would send it down to St John’s, and they will give me a call, so I didn’t get any call from the Saturday, so I went again to the St John’s Police Station with my husband, and made another report or statement, then they led us to the Criminal Investigation Department to make another report there.
“They then said they would send the report to the All Saints Police Station who would call us because of where we live, that is our district,” she said.
She explained that she travelled to the All Saints Police Station to enquire into the report, only to be told that it had not been passed on.
It is said that Noah’s cell phone was found at the home which, according to his sister, was unusual as he “always had it on him”.
The mother said that, at some point, the police were given the phone to assist in the investigation as she believed that phone records could reveal more information about the day Noah went missing. However, she claimed that she has had to do her own investigation.
“The phone never got unlocked, because the cyber lab was infested with some mould, and so they couldn’t get it opened so…I have the phone now and I am going to try to see if I could get it open because I need some information that could help the police,” she claimed.
Persons with information about Noah Hurst have been asked to contact 772-8018.
Police strongly denied the force had been unsupportive.
“We empathise with the family in this unfortunate situation and also understand the level of anxiety and impatience that is growing among them. However, the police are treating this matter with the same level of urgency and attention as any matter of similar concern,” said spokesman Inspector Frankie Thomas.
“I have been in constant communication with the entire family since this incident. I have had dialogue with the mother, father, and siblings of Noah almost on a regular basis, providing words of encouragement and assurance that we are doing everything we possibly can under the circumstances.
“We have organised searches in several different areas with the help of soldiers from the ABDF and members of the public.
“We will not stop searching for Noah until he is found,” he added.
Several individuals have gone missing in Antigua and Barbuda over the years without any information as to their likely whereabouts.
In recent months, Kevin Millett Jr, Kevorn ‘Sardis’ Bailey and Shamar Harrigan were all reported missing by their families.
The family of Harrigan has been awaiting lab results after skeletal remains—as well as the 19-year-old’s clothes, shoes, and backpack—were discovered south of the Willikies salt pond.
Kevin Millett Jr of Gray’s Farm has been missing since March; the car the teen reportedly rented was discovered burnt near Potworks Dam.
Hyacinth Gage, 74, has been missing since May 7 2019 after vanishing from the then Mount St John’s Medical Centre where she had been undergoing some routine blood tests.
Meanwhile, Russian visitor Roman Mussabekov has been missing for six years after reportedly taking a taxi to English Harbour from Hodges Bay, where he was allegedly dropped off at Antigua Yacht Club Marina, only to be never seen again.
Keri-Ann Joshua of Potters has not been seen since 2013 when her family reported her missing.