The Tribune

By KEILE CAMPBELL

Tribune Staff Reporter

kcampbell@tribunemedia.net

POLICE have closed their investigation into a Marathon Estates couple’s complaint that $9,000 allegedly disappeared after officers searched their home, saying there was “insufficient evidence” to bring charges, a conclusion that comes after Marvin Deveaux died without learning what became of the money his widow says was meant to help fund medical treatment overseas.

Commissioner of Police Shanta Knowles told The Tribune yesterday that the matter was fully investigated, but police could not proceed with charges.

"They’ve investigated that matter fully and there was insufficient evidence for them to proceed with a charge because of the lack of evidence that they had," Commissioner Knowles said.

Marvin and Aynalel Deveaux alleged that the money disappeared after officers searched their Marathon Estates home in 2024 while looking for drugs and firearms. Mrs Deveaux said the cash had been set aside for a trip to Turkey, where her husband hoped to undergo medical treatment, including surgery for his back and later for his kidney.

Mrs Deveaux has said officers entered a locked bedroom belonging to her late mother-in-law, where the money was stored. She said she accompanied them during the search because her husband had difficulty walking. She claimed officers acknowledged the money, placed the bag back, then later remained in the room after she was told the search had not been completed and instructed to return to her bedroom.

She alleged that when she checked the room after police left, the cash was gone. The couple said they reported the missing money to police the same day.

Mr Deveaux died last Thursday after years of health challenges, including kidney disease that required dialysis for about 20 years. Mrs Deveaux said he would have turned 61 on July 2.

She has repeatedly told The Tribune that she and her husband never received a definitive explanation about the complaint despite repeated inquiries. She said the uncertainty deepened their financial and emotional strain as his health deteriorated.

When asked why the matter remained unresolved for so long, Commissioner Knowles rejected that characterisation, saying the Deveauxs could have sought updates at any time from 2024.

Mrs Deveaux, however, said the fight drained her and her husband, who died before police publicly disclosed the outcome.

"My husband told me, 'Anna, I can't fight these people no more. My heart already broke. I don't have energy," Mrs Deveaux said, recalling her husband's mindset during his final days.

Mrs Deveaux said her husband had breathing difficulties before his death. She said emergency assistance arrived about an hour after she sought help around 5.20am and that he was already dead by the time responders arrived.

She said the missing money destroyed the couple’s plan to seek treatment in Turkey and left her husband emotionally broken.

"He was happy because he thought he was going to Turkey," Mrs Deveaux said. "He told everybody 'I'm going to fix my kidney and come back normal,” she said. “After the money was gone, everything changed."

While there is no way to know whether the treatment would have changed the outcome, Mrs Deveaux believes her husband would have had a better chance.

After being told police had concluded the matter because of insufficient evidence, Mrs Deveaux said: "These people didn't take my money. These people take my husband’s life. I want the Bahamian people to hear the pain. Today me, tomorrow another person. Life, you can't bring back with the money.”

Mrs Deveaux said her focus is now on arranging her husband’s funeral and settling her affairs.