By Nalinee Seelal, www.newsday.co.tt

It took less than ten minutes yesterday to bury Onika Bostic who suffered for nine days in a coma at the Intensive Care Unit of the Port-of-Spain General Hospital. The burial attended by her mother and five close relatives, finally took place after police officers advised Jacinta Bostic, the mother of Onika that the death of her daughter was not felonious. Jacinta hurriedly cancelled the cremation of her popular daughter at the last minute on Thursday, after she was given different versions of her daughter’s accident and eventual death. Convinced that foul play was evident in the death of her daughter, Jacinta Bostic informed the police that she had cancelled the cremation, but after speaking with the grieving Jacinta, the lawmen convinced her to proceed with the burial.

Onika was laid to rest yesterday in a simple unmarked grave at the Lapeyrouse Cemetery, located in a plot known as 7th Street on the southern side of the cemetery. The freshly dug grave was adorned with three bouquets of red roses, pink Anthuriums and white carnations. The private burial was attended by Bostic’s mother Jacinta, her sisters and brothers. The short simple burial took place between 8 am and 8.30 am yesterday with no priest in attendance. The casket bearing the body was lowered into the grave and the burial lasted less than ten minutes. The Bostic clan paid their final respects to the popular soca singer and then hurriedly left the cemetery. The cancellation of the cremation was featured exclusively in yesterday’s Newsday. Grave diggers at Lapeyrouse told Newsday that around 10 pm on Thursday they were contacted by an official of the Port-of-Spain City Corporation requesting that a grave be dug early yesterday. Grave diggers and a supervisor at the cemetery refused to identify the grave site to the media yesterday.

After a thorough search of the cemetery, the grave was finally located. At Rosalino Street, Woodbrook yesterday, Janeil Bostic, a sister of Onika told Newsday that her mother Jacinta was not ready to part with Onika on Thursday, hence her decision to cancel the cremation. She said that the decision to cancel the cremation was made on Thursday shortly after the arrival of the body at the Crematorium. Janeil said that her mother was not prepared to cremate since she wanted to have the body a few more hours, and cancelled the cremation. She then went to the Port-of-Spain Divisional office where she informed the police of her decision to cancel the cremation. The Bostic family will spend a quiet Christmas at their home today listening to Onika’s music, looking at a taped interview with her courtesy a television station and looking at her many pictures. A special prayer service will also be held for Onika.