Tonight a Ladyville family is desperately holding on to the hope that their sister thirty eight year old Natalie Chan, a resident of Corozal Town is still alive and well. The mother of seven children who reportedly has been a victim of domestic for more than decade apparently overcome with grief and despair walked out of her home sometime yesterday morning and has not returned. Natalie Chan’s family is very worried because since their sister went missing she has since sent them text messages indicating that she has had enough and will end her life.
In the hope of finding their sister before it is too late today the family spoke with 7News following their visit to the Corozal Police Station: According to Encarnita Bennett, it wasn’t until after eight last night that they were alerted by one of their sister’s neighbours who became concerned after she saw the young children at home by themselves. Jacqueline Godwin travelled north and reports on this very disturbing case.
Jacqueline Godwin Reporting
Nine months after the new Domestic Violence Act came into effect to provide more protection for victims and very strict penalties for abusers, tonight there are serious concerns about the life of a young mother whose family fears that 38 year old Natalie Chan has given up hope on her own will to survive the abuse she has endured. Natalie Chan’s family says they do not know if their sister is dead or alive following a text message sent to one them around eight thirty this morning.
Encarnita Bennett, Sister
“She just told us in the text message that she is tired of the life that she has been living for the past 24 years and that she will put an end to it and that we will just find her body and don’t bother to look for it because we won’t find her.”
Natalie and Miguel Chan had been living together for twenty four years that
is up until six months ago when a protection order was issued against the husband following seventeen years of reported abuse. The most recent unfolded inside the Chan’s residence. It is inside this home around twelve thirty on Saturday afternoon police investigations reveal that the wife and mother of seven was attacked by her husband and an older son and threatened with a knife.
Encarnita Bennett,
“It is because of the brutality of the husband going back to the home along with the son, with a knife and wanted to kill her. There was a protection already in place because the police showed it to me this morning.”
Today after being sought by police, Miguel Chan was taken into custody and charged for breach of protection order. Corozal Police are still looking for the son, nineteen year old Carlos Chan who they say will be charged for the use of threatening words. Natalie Chan reportedly left her home sometime on Tuesday morning. Today the police issued this flyer asking anyone if they have seen the young woman to contact them.
Encarnita Bennett,
“The children were at school, that was yesterday morning, the children were at school and I spoke to the children and they said that mommy kissed them and said that she would see them 3:30 yesterday evening in which she did not return to pick them up. She is a very devoted mother to her younger children. She takes them to school and she comes and she picks them back up from school everyday and that is the reason why we find it very strange that she will walk out and leave the two younger girls behind. At this time I must say that we are lost. We don’t where to look, who to turn to, where to go. We are lost.”
And deeply concerned that Natalie Chan will take her own life.
Encarnita Bennett,
“I don’t think that she would play game along with us and that
is the reason why we are taking this very serious because for the fact is too many times you have heard about cases like this and people just push it away and say no it will not happen. But we the family is taking it very serious because for the fact is that she sent us the text and she sent her husband the same text also.”
In that message Natalie wrote’ I just hope you live happy with your house, don’t look for my body.”
Encarnita Bennett,
“But she would never come out and tell us the whole story of what is happening. What we know is what we have to gather from neighbours or from people that would come and tell us what is happening. But like a month or six weeks ago it got to the point where she told us that she had enough and she came here to the police station where she was getting a legal separation due to the brutality of what she was going through and not only from the husband but also from the children, the older children.
Everything that you can think about, they are going through right now.
Just about five minutes ago we had to be out there trying to console one of them who is really taking it very very hard at this time. But what can you tell them? What can we tell them? We are at a loss just like them. We are trying to do know is trying to get custody of the two children and take them back at home with us, try to get some counselling, and leave everything up to the police here and make the police do here what they have to do and then from there, we will keep in contact with the police, keep in contact with Natalie’s phone number.”
According to the family they have been calling her sister’s cell phone number but they only recording they have been getting is, “hi this is Natalie please leave your message.”
Encarnita Bennett,
“So we are asking anybody out there who has any information to give us, please assist us because this is something that we have to take very serious, very very serious. And if she is out there and she sees us, please get in contact along with us. We don’t want for nothing to happen to her. We want her to know that we love her very much and please come to her children especially. Please Natalie we are begging you, please come home.”
If you know the whereabouts of thirty eight year old Natalie Sophia Chan nee Sentimento contact the nearest police station or her sisters Encarnita at cell phone number 626–2583, Judy at 610–2469 and Jackie at 600–7262.
The family said they decided to come forward to the media with the hope that someone who may know where their sister Natalie Chan is will report her location to them or try to help her get to the family. According to police investigations on Saturday the husband forty three year old Miguel Chan in the company of his son nineteen year old Carlos Chan again access into her residence because at the time the house was open.
The investigation reveals an argument started between Miguel and Natalie when the husband accused the wife of having an affair. Miguel then started punching Natalie all over his body it is at this time the son held onto his mother’s hands so his father could continue to beat her. Although the family says their sister has been the victim of domestic abuse for seventeen years apparently the first report was not made until January of this year. Since then Natalie Chan had made fifteen new reports. On May sixth she applied to the court for a protection order which was granted for six months.
According to the Department of Women’s Affairs, the new Domestic Violence Act provides far more protection to all victims of abuse and protection order can now be issued for up to three years. In previous years it was only up to twelve months. Why in Natalie Chan’s case a protection order was given for only six months is anybody’s guess but according to the new legislation if there is any breach in the protection order in the first offence the accused can serve up to twelve months in jail or pay a fine of nine thousand dollars. In the second offence the fine can be between twelve to fifteen thousand dollars or up to two years imprisonment and in the third offence there is no fine butt he accused is directly sent to prison for five years.
