Vanished: The mystery of Antigua and Barbuda's missing people

Relatives and friends of people who have disappeared in Antigua speak to the BBC about their anguish.

British Broadcasting CorporationWatch LiveHomeNewsSportBusinessInnovationCultureArtsTravelEarthAudioVideoLiveHomeNewsIsrael-Gaza WarWar in UkraineUS & CanadaUKUK PoliticsEnglandN. IrelandN. Ireland PoliticsScotlandScotland PoliticsWalesWales PoliticsAfricaAsiaChinaIndiaAustraliaEuropeLatin AmericaMiddle EastIn PicturesBBC InDepthBBC VerifySportBusinessExecutive LoungeTechnology of BusinessFuture of BusinessInnovationTechnologyScience & HealthArtificial IntelligenceAI v the MindCultureFilm & TVMusicArt & DesignStyleBooksEntertainment NewsArtsArts in MotionTravelDestinationsAfricaAntarcticaAsiaAustralia and PacificCaribbean & BermudaCentral AmericaEuropeMiddle EastNorth AmericaSouth AmericaWorld’s TableCulture & ExperiencesAdventuresThe SpeciaListEarthNatural WondersWeather & ScienceClimate SolutionsSustainable BusinessGreen LivingAudioPodcastsRadioAudio FAQsVideoLiveLive NewsLive SportHomeNewsSportBusinessInnovationCultureArtsTravelEarthAudioVideoLiveWeatherNewslettersMysterious disappearances spook residents of Caribbean island12 hours agoShareSaveGemma HandyReporter, St John's, AntiguaShareSaveCourtesy of Patricia JosephHyacinth Gage, 74, disappeared six years agoThe worst part is the mental torture, Patricia Joseph says. The "gut-wrenching" flashes of wondering what her mother's last moments were. The infinite state of limbo.

Six years after her mother's mysterious disappearance, Patricia still catches herself looking out for the distinctive orange-lined raincoat that Hyacinth Gage, 74, was wearing the day she vanished, in the hope it may hold a clue.

Tragically, Hyacinth is just one of an ever-increasing number of people on the tiny Caribbean island of Antigua to disappear without trace in what some have dubbed an epidemic, others a crisis. At least nine have vanished in the last two years alone.

That day back in May 2019 started out ordinarily enough. Hyacinth, described as sprightly and self-sufficient, had gone for a routine check-up at the public hospital, but failed to return. She has never been seen since.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cn0jrk81qpwo

---