13 year old missing, mother appeals for help
While many people spent the long holiday weekend jumping up, one Belize City family had anything but celebration on its mind. According to June Gabourel, when her thirteen year old daughter, Sherilee Nicholas, left for school on Tuesday of last week, it was the last time that the standard four student was seen by anyone from home.
June Gabourel, Mother
“Tyoozdeh ai sen my daata to skool and my nex lee gyal gaan dah the klaas fu barrow wah book and the teecha tell ah well Sherilee noh come da school today. When she kohn home ina the aftanoon she say ma Sherilee no deh dah school. So I refer to like well ih mosi gaan dah ih pa gaan eat so ih weh come home dis evening; ih pa wah bring ahn home. But ih neva kohn home so ah check wid ih pa and ih pa seh ih no di deh. An ah went dah di granny and ih neva di deh needa.
So ah gone back dah di station and a mek wah report and, the police dem just gat mi di ton mi rong and tell me like dehn kyaahn du anything bikaaz dis dah wah lang haliday an the people deh weh tek kayr a dis dehn di du sohnting else an ah woulda hav to just wayt til Mondehy.
An wen Mondeh come I gaan da skool and I talk to di teecha an the prinsipal. Dis da fu my daata, like ai really waahn, Sherilee, ai wish if you di watch dis right now, bikaaz ai miss yoo and ai waahn yoo kohn home back. If you deh enyway weh you kud kaal me, please kaal me. Mek a know dat yoo aarite an yoo safe. An fu the people out ina di street or ina dem hous weh di watch dis right now, please kaal mee at 71329 or 69 West Canal.”
Gabourel says it’s the first time that Sherilee has been away from home for so long and fears that something bad might have happened to her. Police say they have no leads in the case and like Gabourel are asking anyone who knows the whereabouts of Sherilee Nicholas to call the nearest police station.
(Internet viewers please note, where possible we use the Standard Kriol Spelling to transcribe Creole interviews. Comments are welcome on whether this practice or translation into English is preferred.)
