By JADE RUSSELL

Tribune Staff Reporter

jrussell@tribunemedia.net

IT has been five years since Trevaughn Edwards, then 25, vanished without a trace after relocating to Eleuthera for a construction job, a disappearance that continues to haunt his family.

“I continue counting on his age because I’ve never had the feeling of death,” said Desiree Edwards, Trevaughn’s mother, who remains convinced her son is still alive.

In January 2020, the man’s father and two of his sons, including Trevaughn, moved to Eleuthera to begin work on a vacation home construction project. Months later, the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic brought operations to a standstill. The family returned to New Providence in April, but due to space constraints on the returning boat, Trevaughn stayed behind.

He remained in Governor’s Harbour with his godfather, who was also working on the site. Trevaughn kept in touch, received supplies by mailboat, and was regularly checked on. But on the morning of June 3, 2020, he disappeared.

Mrs Edwards recalled depositing money into her son’s bank account that day. When she texted to confirm receipt, the messages bounced back.

Repeated calls went unanswered. His godfather later told her he had seen Trevaughn that morning, leaving with a backpack, presumably to go fishing.

Though Trevaughn sometimes stayed out late or visited Lower Bogue, his mother insisted he always returned home. Concerned, she asked the godfather to look for him. No one on the island had seen him.

Two days later, she instructed the godfather to report him missing to the local police. She also filed a report with the Criminal Detective Unit in New Providence and travelled to Eleuthera with her husband and sister to assist in the search.

Her frustration with the Royal Bahamas Police Force is palpable.

“Nobody never came. We were over there for ten days, and no one from CDU came,” she said, referring to assurances that a team from New Providence would join the search.

Only three local officers assisted during their time on the island. It wasn’t until 18 days after his disappearance that two officers from New Providence arrived.

She said a few people were taken into custody during that search effort but were eventually released.

She said before her promotion, Commissioner of Police Shanta Knowles had offered support. Yet when Mrs Edwards pressed for updates, she was told law enforcement had exhausted all avenues.

Despite the emotional toll, Trevaughn’s father returned to Eleuthera and completed the project in 2022. Since then, Ms Edwards said, the island has grown silent, an unsettling “hush hush” atmosphere surrounding her son’s case.

For years, she kept trying her son’s mobile number. Eventually, it was reassigned.

Her hope remains, but the search has taken a toll.

“When I went on that search with the police, the only thing you can do is hold up your hand, because you don’t know where to look. It’s a big place,” she said.