News Americas, NEW YORK, NY., FRI. Dec. 20, 2019: It’s almost Christmas, a time for many Christians to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ, the son of God. But for one Caribbean mother, it’s a time to mourn again after years of trying to find her twin babies that were stolen from her 14 years ago.
Guyanese Keoma Hymer claim her twin babies were stolen from her minutes after they were born at a hospital in Antigua on September 7, 2004, while she was in transit there.
Now the New York-based Caribbean Guyana Institute for Democracy (CGID), is urging for an investigation by the US State Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) into claims that the twins, now 14, are alive and well with one living in Antigua and another in the U.S.
CGID says the Hymer allegation constitutes abduction and human trafficking.
Hymer, from Mahaicony, ECD, Guyana, was 19 years-old and 7-months pregnant when she boarded a LIAT flight from Guyana to St. Martin on September 4, 2004.
The flight in-transited in Antigua where she became ill. She was transported by ambulance to Holborton Hospital in St. Johns, Antigua, now renamed the “Mount St. John Medical Center,” and was admitted.
There Hamer says she gave birth to identical twin girls – born prematurely on September 7, 2004. After her delivery, Hamer claims she saw her babies alive and heard them cry. She said she also watched as a group of nurses took them away.
This, she claims, was witnessed by other patients. But turns out that would be there last time she would see the twins.
Hamer claims that a short while after the nurses – Roxan Babb-McCurdy, as well as nurse Lynette Daniels, left with the twin babies, a particular nurse returned and informed her that the babies had died. Hamer said she expressly told the nurse that she wanted photographs and the “dead babies” handed over to her aunt on her arrival.
This was not done and to date, according to Hamer, there has been no account about what happened to the twins. Shortly after this episode, Hamer said a representative returned to hospital to pay the outstanding bill.
However, at that time, hospital staff advised the representative that there was no record of Hamer’s hospitalization at the hospital and refused the payment. Her admission and medical records had completely vanished.
Later, when Hamer visited the hospital, she too was also told no record of her hospitalization existed.
CGID said it has documentation establishing that Hamer was indeed a patient at Holborton Hospital at the time. The organization said a Dr. Joseph A. John has certified this and has also attested that he and another doctor – Dr. Abbott – oversaw her care.
He also detailed her medical condition and treatment. There are also photographic and medical records of Hamer’s pregnancy and travel to Antigua.
Further, Hamer and CGID claim several witnesses have attested to seeing the babies alive at birth. They allege that the babies were neither stillborn nor died after birth but were stolen.
The organization and Hamer claim there is strong evidence that the twins have now been identified. One allegedly lives in Gambles, Antigua, and attends Christ The King School. The other ostensibly lives in Syracuse, New York.
In a letter dated June 24, 2019, Antigua and Barbuda’s Minister of Health, Molwyn Joseph, advised Hamer, that the matter is under investigation. On December 4, 2019, Acting Police Commissioner, Atlee Rodney, informed Hamer that DNA tests could not exclude the purported parents as the true biological parents. This test was ostensibly done in July 2019 but despite numerous requests, the results remain hidden from Hamer.
Administrators at Foundation Mix School, where one of the identified twins previously attended, have indicated that at enrollment, a purported parent claimed that the child was adopted from the Commonwealth of Dominica.
Commenting on this matter, an official from the Ministry of Health & Social Welfare of the Commonwealth of Dominica said: “Our records do not reflect any adoption of the said child.”
Serious questions remain unanswered including:
What are the names of the parents listed on the birth certificates and in which country were the certificate issued?
How can a child who is allegedly adopted carry the DNA of the adopted parents? Who collected the samples and supervised the alleged DNA test?
If the purported parents had indeed given birth to the twins, where is the evidence, such as photographs and medical records, of the pregnancy?
Did the Royal Police Force of Antigua & Barbuda gather this crucial evidence?
Why was the alleged DNA test done in secret and without credible witnesses?
Why were only tests results from the DNA samples not collected in the presence of a judge, Ms. Hamer, her attorney, where the entire transfer chain is supervised by the courts to preserve the integrity of the process, can be deemed credible and legitimate. This process must ensue urgently.
CGID is calling for a thorough, fair and impartial police investigation of the matter, which potentially involves serious criminal conduct if the allegations are substantiated.
An alleged party in these allegations currently resides in the US and allegedly works as a medical professional in the York City School system. CGID is urging New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio to direct the NYPD and the Department of Investigations to review these allegations.
Moreover, CGID calls on the government of Antigua & Barbuda to do everything within its power to resolve this matter urgently as it undermines public trust it its institutions.
“We call on all persons with knowledge of the alleged abduction and trafficking to contact and cooperate with law enforcement to ensure a timely resolution of this matter,” CGID’s President Rickford Burke added.
