Eleven years have elapsed since Akiel Chambers' lifeless body was found at the bottom of a pool at a house in Haleland Park, Maraval.
Relatives continue to hope and pray that the perpetrators who murdered him will be soon apprehended even as police sources say they have reached a dead end.
In an interview with the Sunday Express on Friday, on the anniversary of Chambers' death, an uncle of the dead child, Earl Joseph, said: "Give up hope, no, we are just waiting for justice. We have placed all our faith in God and God knows what happened and who are responsible, we have not given up."
Chambers was 11 when he was fished out of the pool at the the Balata Terrace, Haleland Park, Maraval, home of businessman Charles James who was then married to Annelore James. The latter had hosted a pool party for the couple's daughter, Carrie, on May 23, 1998.
Carrie was Chambers' classmate and was celebrating her 11th birthday. Both were students at Blackman's Private School in Maraval. Chambers lived with his aunt Valerie Pascal at 80-82 Henry Street, Port of Spain; his mother Deobrah lived in England and his father Rawle in La Horquetta, Arima.
On Friday, Joseph claimed several people who testified at Chambers' inquest were not totally honest.
"In fact there was a lot of covering up. Why would someone keep a secret for so long, God knows how I hurt, I love my nephew, Akiel is my brother's first child, we have not gotten any justice and what is more scary is that the killer is still out there," he said.
"How can someone live with the knowledge of what really happened to Akiel and not say anything? Akiel would have been a 21-year-old gentleman, having celebrated his birthday on January 4, the same day as me," Joseph added.
Two autopsies were conducted separately on Chambers' body by pathologists Dr Neville Jankey and Dr Hughvon des Vignes. Two inquests were also conducted and Chief Magistrate Sherman McNicolls, officiating as Coroner, ruled on February 18, 2004, that he was satisfied Chambers did not drown accidentally during the pool party.
Attorneys Desmond Allum, SC, Dr Kenneth O'Brien, Donna Prowell and Brent Ali represented the Chambers family while Act Insp Kenneth Cordner represented the police.
Allum told the court all the evidence pointed to the body being placed in the pool.
"Although at this stage no one is able to be identified, it (evidence) points directly to the commission of an indictable offence, whether manslaughter, murder or certainly the offence of buggery," had said, adding that "It would be a stain on society's conscience" if the incident was not further investigated.
Allum also told McNicolls that "It was evident that a number of per sons have tried to keep the truth away from you."
With respect to DNA testing, the anal swab which showed the presence of sperm in Chambers anal cavity was destroyed after being kept in storage for two years. Even the pair of red trunks loaned to Chambers by accounting executive Patrick Young at the party did not contain any evidence.
Police sources have reported reaching a dead end.
