Georgetown woman missing for over two months

The family of a 55-year-old woman who has been missing for over two months is becoming increasingly worried over her safety.

Georgetown resident Bernadette Bynoe was last seen by her daughters in early December 2014, and although she has gone missing before, it has never been {{more}}for more than a week.

Speaking to SEARCHLIGHT, Shonette Bynoe appealed to the public to be on the lookout for her mother, and to report any sightings of her immediately.

“If you have seen her, contact me or whosoever to say where,” urged Bynoe. “It’s kind of strange… I’m worried that probably the worst could have taken place.”

Bynoe, who lives in Villa, said that her mother suffers from schizophrenia, but is on medication to control it. She admitted that her mother sometimes doesn’t take her medication regularly, but that in times when she wanders off, family, friends or the police would see her around and take her home or to the Mental Health Centre.

“If she’s missing, it’s maybe the most for a week… and she would probably have gone by a friend,” Bynoe pointed out.

Bynoe said that her sister Keyran Peters, who lives near to their mother’s residence, made a missing person’s report to the Georgetown Police Station in early January, after it became apparent that Bernadette was nowehere to be found.

She said that since then her sister has repeatedly checked in at the Police Station to see if there are any updates on her mother’s whereabouts, but she is concerned that officers are not making much effort to look for her.

“She’s mentally ill, so can’t contribute much to society,” lamented Bynoe. “That’s how people look at it.”

Additionally, Bynoe said that her mother complained of being raped by a man in her area last year, which the family reported to the police. She said that although the suspect was apprehended, she is not sure if he was charged with any crime and does not know his whereabouts at present.

More recently, another man had moved into the missing woman’s house with her, claiming to be in a relationship with her. However, the family believes that he was trying to swindle Bernadette out of her property, as he was aware that she is schizophrenic.

“We had to go to the police many times,” Bynoe recalled. “The police came on several occasions to tell him to leave there… she is not in her right state of mind to have a relationship.”

Since her mother’s disappearance, the family has boarded up the house at Georgetown to prevent the man from moving back in.

Bynoe said that her mother usually walks to and from Kingstown, occasionally hitching a lift with motorists who know her. However, she expressed deep concern that some of the areas her mother passes through (in Orange Hill and Overland) while walking, are quite lonely.

Bernadette, who is more affectionately known as ‘Berna’, is approximately 5 ft 3 inches tall, and usually wears her hair in several plaits with a bandana tied over her head. She also usually has a dark blue or black travelling bag on her person.

If anyone knows the whereabouts of or has any information regarding Bernadette Bynoe, please contact SEARCHLIGHT at (784) 456-1558 or report the matter to your nearest police station.