Skyline of Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago.
Police in Trinidad and Tobago are investigating the discovery of 56 bodies at a cemetery in Cumuto, a town in Trinidad about 25 miles east of Port of Spain, in a case that has added to growing concern over security and public safety in the twin-island nation. According to police, 50 of the bodies were infants, while the remaining six were adults.
Authorities said the adult dead included four men and two women. Five of the adults had toe tags of the kind typically associated with morgues, and one male and one female body showed signs of autopsy. Police said they were trying to determine the origin of the remains and whether any laws or procedures were violated in the handling and disposal of the bodies.
The discovery comes as Trinidad and Tobago remains under a state of emergency tied to violent crime. The government declared a new nationwide emergency on March 2, citing a spike in violent criminal activity, and the country’s House of Representatives later approved a three-month extension. AP reported last month that the measure gives authorities broader powers, including the ability to make arrests and conduct searches without warrants, and that the country has spent roughly 10 of the last 14 months under emergency conditions.
Against that backdrop, the U.S. Department of State renewed its travel advisory for Trinidad and Tobago on April 13, keeping the country at Level 3 Reconsider Travel. The advisory said there was no change to the level itself, but noted that the kidnapping indicator was removed, an area of increased risk was added, and the advisory summary was updated. The State Department said Americans should reconsider travel because of crime and because there is a heightened risk of terrorism.
The advisory also said U.S. government employees in Trinidad and Tobago are barred from traveling at any time to several areas of Port of Spain, including Laventille, Piccadilly Street, Besson Street, Sea Lots, Cocorite and parts of Charlotte Street and the Queen’s Park Savannah interior. It also restricts nighttime travel to Port of Spain beaches, downtown Port of Spain, Fort George and Queen’s Park Savannah. The State Department further urged increased caution in rural areas because of limited health care access and noted that there were no curfews or restrictions on public gatherings in effect at the time of the advisory.
While the U.S. advisory was tied to broader crime and terrorism concerns rather than the Cumuto case specifically, the timing places the cemetery investigation within an already tense security climate for Trinidad and Tobago. For now, the bodies investigation and the country’s wider crime fight are unfolding side by side, with both drawing heightened scrutiny at home and abroad.
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