Cops not giving up on Kerran

| 16/08/2011

(CNS): Despite the continued lack of significant leads in the missing person case, the police stated on Monday that they would leave no stone unturned in the hunt for 25-year-old Kerran Baker. Although it is more than two weeks since the Jamaican practice nurse disappeared and police say they are increasingly worried for her safety, they also said that they still have a number of lines of enquiry to pursue and they are not giving up. Speaking at the regular daily press briefing, senior officers responded to public demands about arresting witnesses, stating that the police are not in a position to apprehend people to make them tell what they know.

DS Marlon Bodden pointed out that arresting a person and essentially taking away their liberty was a very serious move, one used when police believed a crime had been committed by the person in question and the police could only arrest individuals when there was evidence of that crime.

“When we make arrests it is very serious and it needs to be lawful,” Bodden stated. “We want people to come forward because it is in the best interests of the community and the investigation … we don’t just arrest people so they will give us information.”

Kerran was spotted on CCTV at a local supermarket on Saturday 30 July at around 7pm. Having asked people to come forward if they had exchanged telephone messages with her after that time, the officers explained there was no list of names of those who had either sent BBMs to Kerran or who had received them as the technology didn’t facilitate that. The officers stated that this was why the police had been appealing for people to come forward.

CS Jones pointed out that the police cannot just go on fishing trips arresting people left, right and centre trying to force them into some kind of confession but that the investigation progressed based on evidence.  “When we have the evidence, that is when we can arrest the relevant persons,” he added.

Bodden confirmed that people who had messaged Kerran during the day leading up to her disappearance had come forward to assist but those who had communicated with her after the critical time of 7pm were still silent. “If you don’t want to talk to the police then talk to someone else that you trust who can pass on the information,” DS Bodden said, repeating the appeal.

Despite the continued silence around the critical time, Bodden said the police were not giving up. “We are going to continue to dig and dig until we get answers,” the senior officer stated.  “If there is someone out there who is reading this and knows something about Kerran, we are leaving no stone unturned to find the evidence we need.”

Bodden also said that the police continued to comb through the hours and hours of CCTV collected during the investigation, still hopeful of a sighting of Kerran and possible new leads. In addition, he said, the police would be undertaking another overall review of the investigation so far to ensure no leads had been missed and that every line of enquiry was being pursued.

Kerran Natale Baker, a Jamaican national also known as KerryAnn, has lived and worked in Cayman for the last two years. She was last seen on CCTV footage at Foster’s Supermarket near the airport at 7pm on 30 July. Kerran was reported missing to the police on Sunday 31 July after a friend had visited her apartment and found half unpacked groceries on the counter in her apartment in Bodden Town alongside her handbag.

He white car was discovered parked at Pedro St James around noon on Monday 1 August and the keys were found in the bushes around fifty feet away the following day.

Anyone who may have information on the whereabouts of Kerran is asked to call any of the local police stations, the crime hotline 949 7777, Wilmot Anthony Kerran’s father 321 4271 or Crime Stoppers at 800(TIPS) 8477.

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  1. Anonymous says:

    Charity begins at home –  questioning should start with the neighbours of the adjoining apartments-  Tenants  had to be at home that time of the evening when she delivered the groceries. Some important Questions should be: Did any vehicles visit the yard?  What were the colours? Who at the apartment she would have visited or trusted whenever she was away? 

    I hope and pray that her parents will find some closure in her missing.  God bless the family at this sad time. 

    • Anonymous says:

      17:47  I am sorry to say, but unless she had some, (mind every-body business Caymanian living in eye view of her apartment) no one else will talk.  Cayman has become that way, because it is none of us left to give evidence.  Who is not dead has left, and the few left behind are blinded by foreign hedges and high fencing.  Culture of other persons not Caymanians has changed everything about this Island.  Because long time ago if something happened in a neighbouthood, every body knew, and everybody talked.  Now no one talks because this is the way it is done elsewhere.  Hear nothing, see nothing and say nothing.

      • Anonymous says:

        Yes, we seemto live in the world of the three Moneys! SEE NO EVIL, HEAR NO EVIL AND SPEAK NO EVIL.   These three verses have hampered the good governance of a country that is why we will be no better off today.   

  2. Anonymous says:

    Check out the last incoming call on the phone…maybe Kerran got a call from some known person in the middle of unpacking her groceries, asking her to pick them up from somewhere nearby and bring back to Kerran's house, or drop somewhere nearby.  She would not have left her groceries half unpacked unless she knew she would be back in minutes.

  3. Cat says:

    I'm glad to hear they're not giving up. Now that the police have permission to tap phones,emails,text messages etc, this is definitely the time to use it, although I do not agree with the fact the any and all police officers will be allowed to do this form of surveillance. I think only a technical group carefully chosen in the RCIP should be doing this seperately, being that having so many officers having this ability could result in abuse of this purpose, for personal use. However, I do not doubt that the RCIPS is already aware of this risk and will put the necessary regulations in place to enforce and avoid this potential abuse.

    Further more, (correct me if I'm wrong) I believe I read in one of the past articles that the police said they knew of the people corresponding with Kerran via BBM, but simply wanted them to come forward anyway at their own will and accord. But since these so called friends of hers won't even do the right thing to help find their dear missing "friend", I hope the police have taken to tapping in to those phones & messages of all of her know associates as  well as her computer and home and at work if they haven't  been doing  so already.

    I really hope that the police utilitise this new tool they've been giving to the fullest extent and I hope this will help solve more of our unsolved crimes.

    • Anonymous says:

      Yeah…no locals cuz no doubt yuh business will be spread island wide.

  4. Anonymous says:

    Perhaps the cops should start questioning known sex offenders, kidnappers, gangsters etc. for their whereabouts at the times in question. Hopefully she's ok & nothing bad happened, but surely it's time to step this investigation up a gear & start feeling some peoples' collars. That & question all the people in her address book.

  5. Anonymous says:

    How can their be so many unsolved crime in a place this small! So sad!

    • Anonymous says:

      Beacuse the police is too busy into people private affairs and not doing their job.

  6. Anonymous says:

    "Not giving up"? Is it supposed to be the some other way?  The headline is dumb.

    • hmm says:

      technology DOES support looking into WHO she called so start there with interviews.  Come on, let's get creative and think outside the box to solve this one!  WHO are the y neighbors who could have seen her enter her apartment with groceries?  WHO hangs out with her neighbors that may have been a type that would ogle a pretty girl?  WHO was in the area WHEN she unpacked this groceries and was clearly taken from her apartment during the process???

  7. Wet Paper Caymanian says:

    I  am very sad at news of this mystirious disaperance and also shocked that none (as far as I know) has come forward with any info. that could help put closure for the parents and family and if any real friends. Someone must know something and could help by capturing the person('s) responsible so that the public can stop living in fear. I am also pretty certain that Kerran did not drive to Pedro and simply fake her disaperance, A warning if you do know something your concience will be eating you from the inside and eventually on your every day actions whereever you are. Rather you then me. Remember He said " Vengence is mine " and He means it. Come on do the right thing and come forward to someone you trust and Free yoursel(ves) for whatever  (shared secrets) untold you may have made I am certain that did was not include that one of you would disapear  just like that. Aren't you scared ?

  8. Dred says:

    I don't believe anyone said arrest someone Mr Jones. And yes if it means you catch something maybe you should get Captain Marvin to show you how to catch something cause you ain't doing so well elsewise.

    I believe you need to probe "people of interest". You need to not only follow what is in front of you but look for what is hidden away from you. Policing is about asking questions and seeing if the answers to those questions take you somewhere.

    You speak like someone waiting for a stalk to deliver your case to you not someone who is on the offensive. You sound pathetically weak instead of the head of our Police Force. Do you know how that must sound to your officers? Do you realise they look up to you to show them the way? What are you showing them? Is this blind leading blind now?

    Step back a second and put yourself in our seat OR OR Better yet in teh seat of the parents of Ms Baker. How would you feel if you heard?

    1) We still have no clue what has happened to Ms Baker.

    2) We are asking anyone who has had contact with her to come forward

    How about saying this…

    1) We are actively looking into anything and everything

    2) We would like to let the people who are out there with evidence that withholding information is a criminal offense. And while some of you maybe scared and we realise this it still does not abstain you from imprisonment. We have various methods that you can relay the information to us in an anonymous manner and those are………

    Act like you are in charge, then take charge.

    Again I tell you go look at the money and follow it and you might surprise yourself where you end up. It might just answer some questions you haven't even asked as yet. 

    • Anonymous says:

      Well said Dred, but one little hitch to all this, may be you Dred should be working for the RCIP if  not as Assistant Commissioner, then at least as the PR person. I am sure that the police do read these blogs and take hints from them. I think you are going in the right direction Dred.

    • Anonymous says:

      Obviously you are trying to appear to be something which you are not-INTELLIGENT! Reading between the lines, did you copy and paste those last paragraphs? Furthermore, I do recall one blogger suggesting that police should arrest reluctant witnesses and I quote, "Arrest their ass; a hostile witness is better than no witness." Well, something to that effect. For the record: I particularly do not favor Mr. Jones, but believe he is a lot smarter than you are, and his officers have asked all the appropriate questions and in the appropriate manner. XXX

  9. Anonymous says:

    Great to hear…..we are not giving up on Kerran either……keep praying this case will be solved soon and the perpetrtors of this senseless crime will be brought to justice.  May God bless Kerran and her family.

  10. The Tech says:

    Mr. Jones/Mr. Bodden,

    Sirs, If they (Kerran so call friends) not coming forward, just go to LIME or/& Digcel get them to pull the SIM number that is associated with the Blackberry’s IMEI number (every phone has an IMEI number and is the DNA for that phone, not IMEI is alike) that will give you the mobile numbers of the callers. The PIN numbers are also associated with the BBM’s IMEI. This works in a similar way as voice calls does. It’s just a different way of communicating and need its own path way, like a highway or express way. In this case, we want to see the BBM express-way.

    There is other applications that use your mobile number to communicate, like Whatsup, but this uses your mobile number; instead of a PIN #.

    So, please call LIME/Digi and make them do a cross reference for the last 24hrs and between 8am to 8pm that Saturday. They will and should be able to provided text, BBM’s and voice traffic. And you might have your person/s.

    The Tech

    • Anonymous says:

      Dear Tech, you would think that the RCIPS are smart enough to think of this on their own; they're not.  I'm not even sure that they can follow the instructions which you provided.  Next time, please spell things out step by step.  For example:

      1.  Open your eyes.

      2.  Put away your gigantic meal. 

      3.  Get the toothpick out of your mouth.

      4.  Pick up the phone with your left hand and a pen with your right – use opposite hands if you're left-handed…

      5.  Call Digicel (google number or lookt it up in the phone book under "D"_ "i"_"g", etc.)

      6.  Call Lime as per Digicel instructions – substitute Digicel with Lime

      etc…

    • Anonymous says:

      If this is true and the technology does exist to help trace these BBM messages to find out who she corresponded with, then has Digicel and LIme offered this info to help the police?  If no, then why not?   Are they waiting for the police to ask them for it or serve a warrant on them for it?  Are they afraid of being sued by their customers if they offer up the info voluntarily without an official request from the police?    When a life is in harm's way or someone's life has been already taken, companies have a corporate responsibility to their community to offer up information that might help.   Maybe these companies can enlighten the public as to what information they have already given the police, so we can stop speculating as to whether or not they are being of any help to the police.  

    • Anonymous says:

      Even if Lime/Digicel cannot provide this information, RIM (the makers of Blackberry) apparently can do this & do retain a lot of information. See the various BBC articles about use of BBM in the UK riots & subsequent investigation. RIM need to be asked to provide information on a certain phone in connection with a crime. It's probably not straightforward, but less of this "it cannot be done" nonsense. Ask RIM, & the local providers again. Heaven forbid we have a major crime or terrorism here with all this incompetence & can't-do attitude. If it is true, the phone operators need to be compelled to start keeping this information for the next time something happens as I don't want to hear this sorry excuse again.

      Also, my guess is her car was driven to Pedro & abandoned, so did anyone see someone seeking a ride, getting a cab, walking, or getting picked up in that area & looking stressed out & anxious? Cars don't abandon themselves.

  11. Anonymous says:

    I am just wondering, the clothes that she has on in this last photo of her.  Are they in her apartment, or is she wearing them.