Dominica: Police detain 4 people following the death of hoteliers

National Security Minister Rayburn Blackmore says four people, including three foreigners, are assisting police in their investigations into the deaths of the Canadian couple, Daniel Langlois and his partner, Dominique Merchant – the proprietors of the Coulibri Ridge Eco Resort in Soufriere, a village on the south west coast of Dominica.

The charred remains of the French Canadian born hoteliers were found in a vehicle in Gallion last Friday. The police said the burnt vehicle, matched the description of the one they drove. However extreme conditions of the fire rendered the bodies unidentifiable, leaving investigators to rely on circumstantial evidence to connect them to the missing couple.

Blackburn, speaking on the state-owned DBS radio Monday, praised the police for their “swift’ action in detaining the four suspects in the “homicide arson.

“As the Minister responsible for National Security and Home Affairs, I wish to official commend the Chief of Police and his team for the speedy work that led to a number of  peopl being taken into custody.

“This far, there are four people of interest. Three non-nationals and one national in police custody. The nature of this matter is such that I immediately made  contact with the Canadian High Commissioner to express regret on behalf of the Commonwealth of Dominica and to give the assurance of Dominica’s dedication to solving this crime”.

Blaclmoore said that an official request was also made for “investigating support from the Canadian authorities”.

The National Security Minister said “this type of terrible crime and the brutality in this crime is something we cannot ignore and we cannot allow those responsible to go unpunished”.

He said that the government will provide the police with ”all the resources needed to investigate this matter and to bring the perpetrators of this terrible crime to justice.

“Crimes like this do not only hurt international relations, but this crime in particular, has sent shock waves throughout the island and left the employees, families, and communities of the victims in mourning,” he said.

Blackmoore said while there would be need for a “the highest degree of confidentiality” given the “nature of this crime and the impact on the community and indeed the whole island warrants that the public be kept abreast as much as possible.

“I want to say further that we all live in Dominica as one and so none us are removed from the devastating effects that death of loved ones can bring,” he added.

Last month, during the Independence celebration, the government of Dominica honoured Langlois with a Meritorious Service Award for his contributions to sustainable development and research projects, particularly within the hospitality and business sectors.

Tourism Minister, Denise Charles, who is also the parliamentary representative for Sourfriere, said that the last few days have been “heavy” for the community” as the it struggles to “put into words” the murder of the two hoteliers.

“They loved the people of the community dearly and had great plans for its development,” she said, noting that a meeting had been planned with the hoteliers for this week “to go over some projects”.