The Tribune

By LEANDRA ROLLE

Tribune Chief Reporter

lrolle@tribunemedia.net

THREE months after primary school teacher Jillian Pinder was abducted from her Lake Cunningham home, stabbed in the throat and left for dead, no one has been charged with her killing and her family says it remains desperate for answers.

Police press liaison officer Chief Superintendent Sheria King told The Tribune yesterday there was no further update in the case, but said the investigation remains active.

“The family has been in constant communication with officers,” Chief Supt King said. “The investigation is still ongoing.”

Mrs Pinder’s niece, Anna Capron, said the family, which is breaking its silence for the first time, understands investigations take time but is struggling with the absence of an arrest or charges.

“Months have passed,” Ms Capron said, “and our family is still living with the reality that someone took Auntie Jill’s life, and we still don’t have the answers or justice that we desperately need.”

“There is a tremendous amount of frustration and heartbreak that comes with that.”

Mrs Pinder, a 56-year-old mother of two and teacher at TG Glover Primary School, died on July 13, more than a month after the June 4 attack.

Two men allegedly held her at knifepoint at her Lake Cunningham home, told her that someone close to her owed them $4,000 and took her to an unknown location.

Mrs Pinder was stabbed in the throat and left in her vehicle in the Wulff Road area.

Despite her injuries, she later managed to drive into another vehicle whose occupants helped her.

She was admitted to the intensive care unit, later discharged and then readmitted before her death. Her funeral was held in early August.

Ms Capron said the family spent Mrs Pinder’s final weeks believing she would recover.

“She had just come through something that was already frightening,” Ms Capron said, “and the focus was on her recovering, getting stronger, and getting back to her normal life.”

“Nobody in our family was looking at those weeks thinking that we were watching the final chapter of her life.”

Mrs Pinder expressed gratitude to her relatives before she died, telling her niece: “Tell the family thanks.”

Ms Capron said there had been relief when Mrs Pinder was discharged and expectations that she would begin recovering at home.

“There were conversations about her healing pretty quickly,” she said, “being around family, and trying her best to move forward.”

“And then everything changed.”

Ms Capron said each day without an arrest deepens the family’s frustration.

“Every day that passes without an arrest or charges,” she said, “is another day that her family has to live with unanswered questions.”

She said the pain continues even as the police investigation remains open.

The family has tried to keep Mrs Pinder’s memory alive by remembering the ordinary details of her life.

Her children often recall her love of taking photographs with them, even when they were simply leaving the house and rushing out the door.

Ms Capron said relatives miss Mrs Pinder’s laugh, humour and presence.

“Jill wasn’t just a victim in a news story,” Ms Capron said. “She was a mother, an aunt, a sister, a friend, a teacher, and someone who was deeply loved by her family and community.”

She said the family will continue pressing for answers and is not seeking publicity by keeping Mrs Pinder’s name before the public.

“For us, this isn’t a headline that’s going to disappear when the next story comes along,” Ms Capron said. “This is our family. This is our loved one.”

She appealed to anyone with information to come forward.

“We’re going to continue asking questions,” she said, “continuing to speak her name, and continuing to ask for justice until there are answers.”