KINGSTOWN, St. Vincent — The mother of Shanika Small has identified the clothing covering the decomposed body found here on Oct. 30 as that of her missing daughter, police said at a press briefing on Monday.
They further said that the post-mortem conducted on Oct. 31 revealed that the individual received two fractures to the skull as a result of trauma to the head.
Investigators have sent a package overseas for DNA testing in order to have some more conclusive findings as they try to confirm the identity of the dead person.
Small was reported missing from her Dauphine home on Oct. 21 and earlier reports had suggested that it was unlikely that the body found on Oct. 30 was that of the 20-year-old woman.
However, the press briefing yesterday heard that due to the climatic conditions in Welcome — where the body was found — it possible is for a body to decompose very quickly, again raising the probability that the body could indeed be Small.
The police have further said that they are at a critical stage in their investigation and have questioned person in relation to the decomposing body and the missing woman.