Opal Austin and her daughter, Racquel Ellis, stand outside Opal's home. photo source BERNARD WEIL/TORONTO STAR
Toronto Star columnist Royson James’ interview with Opal Austin in Jamaica has touched many. Austin is the mother of 17-year old Melonie Biddersingh, whose remains were found in a burning suitcase in 1994. At the time police couldn’t make identification. Melonie’s starved 50 lb. body had been stuffed into a suitcase and set ablaze. She had not been reported missing, was not enrolled in school and government agencies did not know of her disappearance. A break in the case came from a phone call, which resulted in DNA samples taken in Jamaica confirming the identity of Melonie in February 2012, 18 years after she died. In 1992 her brother Dwayne, 15, fell 22 storeys to his death in the Parkdale neighborhood in the West end of Toronto. His death had been ruled a suicide but Austin wants the case reopened.
In his interview James, himself a Jamaican national, reported that the family sent the two children to Canada to live with their father in the hopes that they would have a better life. The father Everton Biddersingh and his wife Elaine have now been charged with murder. James also said Opal Austin, who provides for her family as a street vendor, would like to come to Toronto for the trial and would like to bring her children back to Jamaica for a “proper burial”.
Many have pledged financial support for the mother and Toronto Councillor Michael Thompson, shaken by James’ report is leading a response. Thompson, who was born in Jamaica and came to Canada as a young child, has set up a “Tragedy Account” at all Royal Bank branches to accept donations. The Jamaican-Canadian Association is assisting as well as the Jamaican Consulate who has set up an account (#24188064589) at the Bank of Montreal.
Thompson, said, “I’m numb. It’s gut wrenching. When you think of the experiences these young kids went through … one supposedly jumps off a balcony and then the suitcase … I’m just saddened by it all”. He held a press conference to address the issue of starting a registry to track children immigrating to non-traditional family situations. He stressed the need of an outreach to ensure all is well with the family. “We need to make sure no other young child gets caught in a situation like that again. It has to stop. I’m going to make this a personal mission to bring everybody together to make sure this doesn’t happen again, or minimize it”, he said. Thompson made a motion in Council calling for the City to examine what more it could do to help stop immigrant child abuse. Councillors voted unanimously to send his motion to the community development and recreation committee for further consideration.
