Since November 11, last year, the relatives of Marie Sinclair-Barrett have had sleepless nights as the murder of their loved one still haunts them.

On that fateful day, the 29-year-old mother of two whose stage name was 'Sparkles' left home destined for the airport.

She was to perform in Germany the following week, however, she did not reach her destination.

Her mutilated body was found along the Dyke Road in St Catherine wrapped in a carpet. So advanced was the state of the decomposition that her family members had to use tattoos on her body to identify her.

"The feeling of hurt cannot be fully explained. Even now there is the belief that she is still around, but the reality is this is not so,'' said her mother Ruthlyn Sinclair almost in tears.

shattered dreams

Sinclair said prior to her death, Barrett had dreams of becoming an entertainer. She said her daughter had just got her first major break when tragedy struck shattering any hope of stardom. It is reported that Sinclair-Barett was picked up by someone close to her for her journey to the airport. But she never arrived and no one seems to know the events that caused Barrett's death.

Meanwhile, investigators in the St Catherine south division said they are doing further work on the case and that the matter is being treated as a priority.