Philipsburg:--- The investigation into the violent death of 13 year old Tiffany REID on September 6, 2011, has been concluded confirmed Chief Prosecutor Hans Mos. The results of the investigation have proven beyond a reasonable doubt, that the suspect that was arrested in this case, Robert Emanuel REID, the father of the girl, is responsible for her violent death and the subsequent disposal of the body.On Tuesday, September 6, 2011 around 8:20pm, the police was informed that a body was found in the vicinity of the Reward Road. A witness at the scene of the crime informed the police he heard a loud explosion and saw large flames coming out of the bushes nearby. When he went closer to take a look, he saw a man getting into a white van. The witness memorized the license plate of the vehicle and immediately told the police.
It was soon discovered this van belonged to the later suspect Robert Reid. When Reid came to the police station later that evening to report the missing of his daughter, Tiffany, the police noticed he had several fresh burn wounds. Around that same time the forensic department was able to retrieve the body from the ravine it was thrown in. A preliminary examination of the body showed that it appeared to be that of a young woman. Based on this information the prosecutor ordered the immediate arrest of Mr. Reid.
Even though the suspect Reid has denied any involvement in the death of his daughter, the results of the investigation prove that he gave false statements about his whereabouts that evening and about the way he got his burning wounds.
Reid stated he got burned while fixing the radiator of his van. According to his statement the radiator hose burst while he was under the van and he subsequently got burns from the hot radiator fluid.
An expert mechanic from a local car dealer that carries the brand of Reid's van, was asked to do a report on the condition of the radiator of the van. His conclusion was that radiator or radiator hose bursting, or radiator explosion did not occur. Also a medical expert was asked to examine the wounds of the suspect. The expert concluded that the wounds were not consistent with hot water burns. Forensic experts from the Sint Maarten police have cut the eyelashes from the suspect, since they showed signs of melting. An expert of the Netherlands Forensic Institute has concluded that this type of melting cannot be caused by hot water or steam, since the temperature is not high enough to cause the melting of hair. This melting does however occur, when in contact with open fire.
Apart from his van and license plate, forensic evidence also puts Reid at the scene of the crime. Next to the burned body of his daughter, a flip flop from a grown man was found. The flip flop was partially melted. Forensics has shown this flip flop contains the DNA of Reid and no one else. When taken to the hospital that night, several witnesses had noticed Reid was wearing two different flip flops. After exiting the hospital, he had disposed of his flip flops and walked barefoot.The police investigation has further shown that Tiffany was last seen in the presence of Mr. Reid. He was seen leaving his home with her in his van, somewhere between 5pm and 5:30 pm. Seized camera footage shows his white van after leaving the crime scene at 7:45 pm. The whereabouts of Reid and Tiffany between 5:30 pm and 7:45 pm are unaccounted for.
The autopsy on the body of Tiffany has shown that she died of suffocation. The results suggest she was strangled. It has been concluded that Tiffany was dead before her body was disposed of. The body had been wrapped in large plastic bags and set on fire. During a house search at the home of Reid, similar large plastic garbage bags were found. No signs of sexual abuse or pregnancy were found during the autopsy. Early speculations on the motive had mentioned this.
Based on all these findings the prosecutor's office concludes that it is proven beyond a reasonable doubt that Robert REID killed his own daughter Tiffany Reid and subsequently disposed of her body by setting it on fire. No indications were found during the investigation that Reid was assisted by anyone or that anyone else could be held responsible for these crimes.
Robert Reid died in the Point Blanche prison on October 25th, 2011. It is believed he committed suicide. The circumstances under which he died are still under investigation by the Landsrecherche.
Since with the death of Reid the prosecution in his case has come to an end and therefore a judge will not be able to rule on his involvement in this crime, the prosecutor's office considers it appropriate to inform the general public of the investigative results by this extensive press release.
The prosecutor's office wishes to commend the police force of Sint Maarten and the forensic team for their outstanding work in the investigation into this horrific crime. We would furthermore like to commend the witnesses that immediately came forward and gave very valuable information. Without their information it would have been far more difficult to solve this crime. This once again shows the importance of the cooperation of the public in solving crime.