Police officers reportedly made the find at about 4:00 yesterday afternoon (1st June) in a secluded area near the coast on Bypass Road, Oropouche.
Investigators were led to the scene by a man detained for questioning in the girl’s disappearance. The 30-year-old suspect was taken into police custody yesterday and he was reportedly involved in a relationship with the teenager.
A second suspect is also being sought by the police.
The remains were taken to the Forensic Science Centre in St James.
Samples would be taken from relatives for DNA testing to confirm the identity, police said.
Charles, a form five pupil at Holy Name Convent in Point Fortin, was staying at her cousin’s home in Cap-de-Ville when she left to attend a service at the Tabernacle of Prayer Church in Point Fortin on May 22.
Cousin Cabrina Richardson said, “She was staying with us. She and another cousin went to church together. They attended the service and then went to get gas in Santa Flora. But Arlene said she wanted to go to a friend’s house in Fyzabad. She said the friend’s name was Lisa.
“My cousin put her in a taxi and she left to go Fyzabad. My cousin got a text from her a while later saying she was good and eating a sandwich. But she said her cellphone battery was dying.”
A missing person report was filed at the Point Fortin Police Station when Charles failed to return home the next day and relatives mounted a search but were unable to find Charles – who was expected to complete the Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC) examinations this month.
Last week, the decomposing body of 28-year-old nurse Trichelle Campbell-Dean was found buried in a shallow grave—five days after she was reported missing. A male relative led officers to the grave near the Palo Seco Secondary School—a day after he was detained for questioning. The suspect is expected to appear in court today charged with murder.
And South-Western Division police are also investigating the disappearance of two teenagers in separate cases.
Renne Richardson, 14, was reported missing by relatives on Tuesday evening. She was last seen at her Techier Village, Point Fortin, home around 5 a.m.
The teenager’s father, a security officer, told police his daughter was not at home when he returned from work that evening.
She is a standard five pupil at the Guapo Government Primary School. She is said to be four feet, eight inches tall and dark in complexion.
Investigations are also continuing into the disappearance of 14-year-old Daniel Vialva.
Police said the Cedros Composite School pupil was last seen near his home around 10.30 a.m. on Sunday. He was wearing a black T-shirt and long blue jeans.
(Parts of this article were written with content submitted in a Trinidad Express release)