A celebratory trip has turned into a nightmare for a Mississauga couple stranded in the Turks and Caicos Islands after their Canadian passports were stolen during a burglary at their rental property.
Jessica Botelho and David Parreira traveled to the islands on February 10 to celebrate their mother’s 70th birthday and their aunt’s 60th with 26 other family members. They were scheduled to return to Toronto a week later, on February 17.
But one day after their arrival, a burglary occurred at the two-bedroom apartment they were staying in with Botelho’s cousin and wife, resulting in several items, including their passports, being stolen.
“When we got home, it was very evident that the place had been looted,” Botelho told CTV News Toronto in an interview.
“And when I walked into my room, basically, there was glass all over the floor and a rock, so they broke the window, went in and took everything they could.”
Botelho said cash, phones and other valuables were also stolen. The passports of Botelho’s American cousin and wife were not taken. Parreira’s phone was also left behind.
“At first, there is that feeling of violation. You’re like, wow, how did this happen? And then the initial concern was: are we still alone in this apartment or is there someone here with us? She explained.
The couple reported the incident to police to investigate and to the Canadian consulate to access emergency travel documents.
Last Tuesday, Botelho said, they filled out the necessary forms under the supervision of a consular official in Turks and Caicos, obtained new passport photographs, paid $700 for what is called a temporary passport and spent $150 on courier fees to send those documents to the Canadian High Commission in Jamaica.
The couple said they had not heard from the consulate until Monday, when they were told that one of their passport references was invalid and the waiting game would likely continue. At this point, the couple tells CTV News Toronto that they have been informed that their passports are ready to be shipped from Jamaica, but they have not received them yet.
“With the way the process has gone. I really don’t think we’ll get out of here before next weekend,” Botelho predicted.
Since then, on February 17, Botelho estimates that the money they have spent on unplanned accommodations, combined with the value of the stolen goods, amounts to more than $8,000 (and they are still burning through cash) while the rest of the family returns home.
“Having to say goodbye to my mom. She was visibly excited,” Botelho said.
Global Affairs Canada confirmed to CTV News Toronto in an email that it is providing consular services to two Canadian citizens in the Turks and Caicos Islands, but did not reveal their names for privacy reasons.
The couple say they managed to book the next direct flight to Toronto on Friday, avoiding a stopover in the US and the potential border issues that may arise there, although it is unclear if they will have the necessary travel documents to board by then.
Botelho explained that the property manager of the apartment they were staying in has provided them with accommodation that will be sold out on Thursday. In the meantime, he said they are anxious to get home and paranoid about the possibility of another robbery, to the point of sleeping with the property’s landscaping machete in the bedroom.
“And then that paranoia turns into a feeling of defeat and frustration about not being able to contact people,” he said. “We are in a beautiful place. It could be worse. I think there is a feeling of defeat when it comes to the Canadian authorities.”
CTV News Toronto reached out to the Royal Turks and Caicos Islands Police for a comment on the theft but did not receive a response.