Upon Ita Maynard’s disappearance, Angela Semento feared that the worst had befallen her stepmother. However, the 84-year-old pensioner is alive and well, residing at a nursing home in Ireland and wondering what all the fuss was about.{{more}}

Speaking to SEARCHLIGHT on July 16, 2009, Ita Maynard admitted that she had indeed left SVG in December 2000, and went to live in Florida. She stayed there for a few years and then headed back to her hometown in Ireland in 2003.

But why did Maynard leave the island when she had told her stepdaughter that she could never live in Ireland again? Maynard insisted that a series of events (culminating in the fire at her house) was the cause of her departure.

The story of Maynard’s “disappearance” was first published in the May 22, 2009, edition of SEARCHLIGHT. Maynard’s stepdaughter Angela had voiced the opinion that her stepmother’s house had not fetched a price it was really worth. However, it was proven that the property had been ravaged by fire. The Records Department (at the High Court), revealed that the property was sold on May 18, 2000 for $45,000, despite being valued at $80,000 at that time. The property was said to be valued at $148,000 at the time of Maynard’s husband’s death. When SEARCHLIGHT contacted Maynard’s insurance company, a representative related that the company is not at liberty to discuss the fire damage that the house suffered. The fire damage may be the reason for the lower figure being accepted. There is thus no evidence that anyone had exerted any undue influence on Maynard, least of all the new owner.

Semento had also doubted that her stepmother had returned to her native home, Ireland, although this has proven to be true.

Still possessing a strong voice, Maynard recalled that the man she had sold her property to was “a good friend to my husband”.

Although the hands of time have somewhat clouded Maynard’s memory, Sun Hill Nursing Home Manager Shane Kelly maintains that she is very lucid for her age. “She gets a little confused sometimes but she still goes to the Bank herself”.

Sounding somewhat agitated, she huffed: “I don’t know what all the fuss is about! Why are people so interested in what happened?”

It would appear that Maynard, now reunited with family, is more than eager to put the memory of her last few years in St. Vincent behind her.

It has turned out that the new owner of the house was perfectly correct when he said that Ita Maynard had returned to Ireland via Florida. SEARCHLIGHT wishes to assert

that the information at hand in no way suggests any foul play or wrongdoing in connection with the sale of Ita Maynard’s house, or her departure from St. Vincent and the Grenadines.