After sending its Major Crime Team to conduct an investigation into the disappearance of Mrs. Margarita Faulker-Clinton of Anegada who went missing from her home on Sunday December 2, 2012 around 5:30pm, the RVIPF will now begin an expanded five-day search on Anegada to begin on Monday, January 14, 2013. Photo:supplied

The release further detailed, on a visit to the island on Friday, January 4, 2013 officers of the Major Crime Team re-canvassed witnesses and community members. Consequently, a decision was made to carry out a further search. The team will be joined by officers from the U.S. Virgin Islands and their cadaver dogs.

Acting Commissioner of Police David Morris stated it is important that a thorough investigation and search is carried out to trace the whereabouts of Mrs. Faulkner-Clinton.  "The re-canvas and expanded search will hopefully help to establish what happened to her,” he noted.

The RVIPF release expressed that the Force continues to solicit information from members of the Anegada community in relation to this investigation and encouraged persons who wish to provide information to assembe at the Emile Dunlop Community Centre on Monday at 7:30am where officers will gather prior to the search.

Persons can also make arrangements to share information through the Anegada Police Station.

Margarita Faulkner-Clinton was last seen on Sunday, December 2 at about 5:30pm on the main road in The Settlement.

Following her disappearance, a team of officers from Tortola and Virgin Gorda joined members of the Anegadian community along with representatives from service organisations to search for her. An aerial search was also carried out with the assistance of the Coast Guard. She was still not found.

See previous story posted January 4, 2013:

Police to investigate Anegada woman's disappearance 

- Top Priority Security boss says prior search team may have contaminated area making it difficult for search dogs 

ROAD TOWN, Tortola, VI – The Royal Virgin Islands Police Force (RVIPF) has announced the introduction of its Major Crime Team into the disappearance of Mrs Margarita Faulkner-Clinton, 77, of Anegada who has been missing since December 2, 2012.

The mysterious disappearance of the resident of The Settlement in Anegada has left persons perplexed as to what could have possibly happened to her.

In a release sent by the RVIPF, it was disclosed that officers would be in Anegada today, January 4, 2013 to begin work on the investigations.

The release also stated, following her disappearance, a team of officers from Tortola and Virgin Gorda joined members of the Anegadian community along with representatives from service organisations to search for her. An aerial search was also carried out with the assistance of the US Coast Guard. She was still not found.

Meanwhile, CEO of Top Priority Security Mr Lesmore Smith explained that he had participated in the search along with a few of his tracking dogs. The dogs, he said, were fully trained in tracking and searching for missing persons.

He related that he had joined the search three days after it began, along with the St Thomas Police with their cadaver dogs but remained unsuccessful in their attempts to find the missing woman.

He noted that due to the number of people that had already participated in the search prior to his team’s arrival, the area may have already been contaminated from a crime scene perspective in order for the dogs to perform an effective search.

Mr Smith explained that this made it harder for investigators to actually achieve their goals and for the dogs to pick up the appropriate scents that they needed to give a good determination of which direction the person might have travelled.

“If [the dogs] had discovered a fresh scent, they would have indicated and moved on to that direction,” he added. This never happened however, either with the dogs on his team or the cadaver dogs (which are usually used to detect the scent of dead bodies) brought by the St Thomas Police.

According to Mr Smith, the mystery of what happened to Mrs Faulkner-Clinton still remains on his mind even now; the CEO added that he went back to the island a week ago to see if he could make any new discovery but came up empty handed.

Though investigations continue into the mysterious disappearance of Mrs Faulkner-Clinton, Mr Smith related that it was heartening to see members of the community turn out in numbers to participate in the search for the missing woman.

Efforts to contact family members proved futile up to post time.