SPEYSIDE, Tobago — The brutal double murder of a Swedish couple sent shockwaves through Tobago yesterday, prompting tourism and government officials to lament the killings as "a sad day" for the island. Police found Anna Sundsval, 62, chopped to death, and her companion Oke Olsoon, 73, unconscious with wounds about his body when they received a report, at about 10.30 am, of a commotion at the couple's villa Anthony Charles Crescent, Bon Accord Estate Development, in west Tobago. Olsoon died close to two hours later while undergoing emergency surgery at the Scarborough Hospital. Local sources said the couple arrived in Tobago from Sweden on Sunday for a two-week stay following which they were scheduled to travel to Australia. The couple have no relatives in Tobago. Sources said Sundsval had two daughters and Olsoon had two sons. "This is indeed a sad day for tourism in Tobago," said Carol Ann Birchwood-James, president of the Tobago Hotel's Association, who was among officials at the villa yesterday. Sundsval was pronounced dead by County Medical Officer of Health Dr Mentor Melville who said she had been chopped twice across the head and face by her killer. She was attacked in a bedroom of the upstairs apartment of the villa and police described the scene as "a bloodbath". Police believe Sundsval put up a fight against her attacker. Olsoon was found unconscious downstairs with multiple chop wounds about his body but he did not survive emergency surgery. The couple's house workers, as well as close neighbours, cried uncontrollably when they heard the news of their murders. One worker said Olsoon said to her over the weekend, "'I must see Australia before I die.' He didn't know he would be dead today." About five persons were employed by the couple. An unarmed woman security guard stationed in a guard-hut close to the fenced premises contacted the Crown Point Police Station when she heard a commotion at the villa. She was reported to be in protective custody yesterday. Investigators believe the killer gained entry to the villa by using a ladder to climb over the fence at the back of the property. There was a break-in at the villa last year when electronic and household appliances were stolen. It was after the robbery that the couple fenced their property. The couple's workers, who did not want to be identified, said they visited the villa each year, sometimes staying as long as six months. "They bought this villa to live in peace in Tobago and look what happen," an expatriate neighbour commented. Tobago House of Assembly (THA) Chief Secretary Orville London yesterday extended condolences to the families of the slain couple. Senior Superintendent Nadir Khan led a team of officers to the crime scene where tracker dogs were used to search the area for the killer. Homicide Bureau investigators also assisted the local Crown Point police and there were reports last evening that a forensic team from the Special Anti Crime Unit in Trinidad had flown to Tobago to assist in the investigation. Tourism Minister Joseph Ross yesterday called the killings a "tragic event" which he described as an "isolated incident". In a media release, Ross said he has been in contact with Minister of National Security Martin Joseph, Acting Commissioner of Police James Philbert and officials of the Tobago House of Assembly regarding the investigation of the murders. Ross however noted that Trinidad and Tobago has not had many reported cases of crimes against visitors. "According to the Crime Analysis Branch of the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service there were no incidents of serious crimes committed against tourists in Trinidad and Tobago for the period 2005 to July 2008," the Tourism Minister's statement read. | | Officials in Tobago said the murders of a Swedish tourist couple were the most brutal they have ever seen. "The Ministry of Tourism has also been in continuous contact with the Tobago Hotel's Association and other tourism stakeholders. We are also liaising with our overseas marketing representatives and High Commissions." Ross will today meet with THA officials and other tourism stakeholders in Tobago. Yesterday tourism stakeholders braced for the expected impact the murders would have on the sector. In Trinidad and Tobago, tourism (mainly on the island of Tobago) accounts directly for around six percent of GDP and employs around six percent of the workforce. According to a report in The Economist in March of this year, there has been a clear escalation of crime against tourists in Tobago. "While most violent crime in Trinidad and Tobago is concentrated in the ghettos surrounding Port-of-Spain, violent attacks on visitors to Tobago have risen sharply in recent years," the report stated. Foreigners murdered October 9, 2008: Swedish couple Anna Sundsval, 62, and Oke Olsoon, 73, chopped to death at their villa in Tobago October 3, 2008: German national Gunther Woehner, 72, is shot dead at his Zoar Heights, Four Roads home in a robbery. Woehner lived in Trinidad for 40 years. January 18, 2005: German Jurgen Claus Keck, 60, a retired engineer turned artist/painter, is shot dead at his Aquaview Terrace, Carenage. April 29, 2004: Canadian professor Robert Mac Donald, 43, succumbs to his injuries after being shot by robbers. Mac Donald was in the country to attend a karate tournament. February 26, 2004: American customer services representative Camelia Nyack, 31, is killed in a shoot-out at a friend's home at Sorzano Street, Arima after visiting Trinidad for Carnival celebrations. February 12, 2002: American oil engineer Mark Staley, 38, of Mountain View, Wyoming, is stabbed to death during Carnival Monday night mas. March 10, 1996: The body of an American yachtie is discovered in the Tucker Valley hills. May 11, 1994: The bodies of Canadian Geoff Thomas Barnes, 23, and his pregnant wife Sherelle Ann Barnes, 22, are discovered on a Blanchisesse beach in May, 1994. by KARL E CUPID and ANDRE BAGOO |
