Senior Multimedia Reporter
The anguished cries of children filled the Erin Seventh-day Adventist Church as family, friends and classmates gathered to bid a final farewell to 12-year-old Mercedez Layne, who was violently murdered on her way home on June 6.
Yesterday, instead of spending her day at school, Mercedez lay in a coffin, while her loved ones struggled to accept her death.
At the Erin Public Cemetery, the anguished cries grew louder by late evening as Mercedez’s sisters—Ayendae, Cheyenne, Kavelle, Kylah, Shakayah and Shereeka—and her young nephew Saydden, screamed as tears streamed down their faces as they clung to one another just before her casket was placed into the grave.
Her mother, Annarese Layne, draped herself across it, sobbing uncontrollably, shouting: “No, Mercedez, don’t go,” as she caressed her daughter’s face.
Annarese, who had been hospitalised following the death, was discharged in time to attend the funeral. She broke down in tears as the hearse carrying her daughter’s body arrived at the church. The vehicle bore large photographs of Mercedez’s smiling face—a painful reminder of the life cut tragically short.
Inside the church, school principal Susan Richards led students in an acrostic tribute using the letters of Mercedez’s name, highlighting the qualities that made her beloved among classmates and teachers.
Among those paying their respects were Opposition Leader Pennelope Beckles, Siparia Mayor Doodnath Mayrhoo, La Brea MP Clyde Elder, teachers, students and residents. Addressing mourners, Mayrhoo said Mercedez’s death should serve as a wake-up call for parents, grandparents and guardians.
“Today, I should not have been here. Today, none of us should have been here. Today, Mercedez should have gone to school,” he said.
Describing the child as an innocent victim, Mayrhoo urged adults to be more vigilant.
“Gone are the days when we should put our child in a taxi and send them alone. We need to look after them. Children are a gift from God. We need to cherish them. We need to protect them.”
He announced plans to seek approval from the Siparia Regional Corporation to have a portrait of Mercedez painted at the upgraded Irwin Park facility as a lasting tribute.
Beckles reflected on the remarkable impact the young girl had made during her short life.
“For a child of 12, she did so much. It’s impossible to figure out how her mother was able to manage her going to Red Cross, going to all the different churches, doing the dancing. She led a very important and eventful life in a very positive way,” she said.
The Opposition Leader urged mourners to remember the positive legacy Mercedez left behind.
“She made an impact on the community of Erin to bring myself and a lot of other people here to Erin. She has put the village on the map of Trinidad and Tobago.”
Fighting back tears, Elder described the funeral as the most difficult he had attended since becoming MP.
Although he met Mercedez only briefly during a visit to her school, Elder said her death had touched the entire nation.
“You did not have to know Mercedez personally to be impacted by what has happened to her.” He pledged continued support to the grieving family and urged citizens not to allow the tragedy to fade from memory once the funeral was over.
“Let us be more responsible in how we protect our children, and let us not take it for granted that all the people out there are good.”
Pastor Stevenson Hall also appealed to mourners to find forgiveness despite their pain. He urged them to think of the day when they will see Mercedez again.
The battered body of the child was discovered on June 7, near an oil pipeline, a day after she went missing. Richard Renalis, 26, has since been charged with her murder.
