Bridgeport Primary mourns murdered teacher and her daughter

 

A wave of shock and heartbreak swept through Bridgeport Primary School on Friday morning, as students and teachers tried to process the brutal murders of 29-year-old teacher Tara Pinnock and her 14-year-old daughter, Talia Wright. 

 

The two were found at their St. Catherine home on Thursday with stab wounds and their throats slashed.

 

Inside Ms. Pinnock's grade 5 classroom, adjectives listed on the board captured the grief of her students.

 

"There's sadness. They are depressed, they're uncomfortable, they're upset, they're heartbroken, disappointed, betrayed and even shocked. And these were words from the children. And one of them said she doesn't know what to feel, she couldn't even sleep," guidance counsellor Anita Gordon-Hunter shared.

 

The guidance counsellor rolled out art therapy sessions to help students cope with the sudden loss of a teacher they described as fun, loving and always present. That presence made her absence on Wednesday even more alarming. 

 

Ms. Pinnock had taught at the school for four years and was known for her reliability. 

 

Grade 5 coordinator Claudia Seiveright said her final conversation with Ms. Pinnock was on Tuesday when she told her she was heading home. 

 

"And so when I did not get that from her, the concerns [started], and I kept calling her phone and went straight to voicemail. I kept going back and forth, back and forth. I could not stay in the classroom, I kept going back to [the principal], Sir, I'm not getting her, I'm not getting her. And knowing the type of person that she is and not getting through to her, not getting an answer back, for me something was wrong because this was out of character for her. 

 

"It reached the point where we, the principal had to go to her house. It's a hard one. But Miss is one of those persons, she cares about her students because she has the third stream and so she has that rapport with them where she could get them to settle down and get work done. So she loved them in such a way and the students felt her love," Ms. Seiveright recounted.

 

On Friday, Jamaica Teachers' Association (JTA) President Mark Malabver urged investigators to move swiftly and bring the killer to justice.

 

"I remain confident that the police will make an arrest in the due course. And I hope that the matter will be successfully prosecuted in the courts. We extend our deepest condolences to the family of the teacher. We certainly will be giving whatever support that we can to our colleagues in the coming days. We intend to visit the school," he said.