French Guiana tragedy: “He’s still free”: Mother’s plea for justice after daughter’s death

Tricia Sandy’s life has been consumed by grief and uncertainty since June, when her daughter, Coretta Blair Sandy, known affectionately as Mindy, tragically lost her life during a trip to French Guiana. Coretta, 34, a mother of one, was supposed to travel to the neighbouring country with her husband, Terrence Glasgow, to assist him with carrying personal items. What was meant to be a short visit quickly spiralled into a devastating nightmare that continues to haunt the Sandy family.
According to Tricia, the last time she communicated with her daughter was on June 11, when Coretta failed to check in as she normally did. Days later, Glasgow returned to Guyana alone and told the family that while in Suriname, an altercation occurred with a gang, during which Coretta was shot. However, he never revealed the location of the alleged incident, leaving the family desperate and uncertain.

Glasgow was later arrested and taken into custody in Guyana. But the circumstances surrounding Coretta’s death remained unclear, and despite repeated inquiries at the Cove and John Police Station on the East Coast of Demerara (ECD), little information was forthcoming. Investigators had reached out to Surinamese authorities for assistance, but there was no sign of the woman’s body in the country. Days later, however, the heartbreaking discovery was made that Coretta’s body was not in Suriname at all, but in French Guiana, where the couple were reportedly staying instead. Her body was found wrapped and dumped in a river behind the house where she and Glasgow had lodged. Following this revelation, Glasgow allegedly denied ever telling the family that Coretta had been shot in Suriname. Though he was initially held by police, he was released just 72 hours later under reporting conditions. According to Coretta’s relatives, officers explained that the suspect could not be further detained because the crime had not occurred in Guyana. Months have since passed, but Tricia says the family is still no closer to justice. She revealed that authorities in French Guiana told her the suspect could only be apprehended through Interpol. “They said they will try to get the documents and make arrangements, but so far, nothing has happened,” she explained.
The grieving mother said the lack of formal coordination between jurisdictions has left her family both frustrated and fearful, especially as reports have surfaced that Glasgow has been spotted moving freely across Guyana. She recounted that during Coretta’s funeral in Suriname, investigators asked her to help identify areas on a map linked to Glasgow’s residence in Guyana. Searches are also still being carried out in places near where Coretta’s body was discovered.
But despite these efforts, Tricia said her family remains in limbo, struggling with the devastating loss of her only child while justice seems increasingly out of reach.
“Every time I think about this thing, I cry… I need him to be arrested immediately,” Tricia said, her voice breaking. “I don’t even live there; I live in Guyana. I have someone there communicating and so on, but if nothing happens, I will have to go back there. Her father was there, and they said they don’t have anything as yet, but they will get him there.” Though she remains hopeful, Tricia is painfully aware of the toll the long wait for justice has taken. For her, the fight is not only about accountability but about honouring the life of her only child. “Every day is a struggle,” she admitted.
She is hoping that justice to be served swiftly.