Who was Ashanti ‘shanti’ Riley?

Trinidad & Tobago has been deeply hurt and traumatised by the rapes, assaults and murders of girls and women for decades. The assault, and murder of 18 year old Ashanti Riley, hurt the family and the country significantly.

Ashanti was an intelligent, beautiful and talented young women who had the world at her feet. Her mother and aunt describe her as a ‘saltfish’. Everyone loved Ashanti, she was always the life of any gathering.

Born on September 05th, 2002, she was her mother’s second born. She has tho sister and one brother, who loved her deeply.
She attended the Aranguez North Secondary school, and was in the process of preparing her SBA’s when her life was taken in a most brutal manner.

She loved hairdressing, makeup, dancing and loved music. Everyone who met her were immediately struck by the young women beauty.
Her aunt Lisa Riley spoke glowing about her late niece, saying she wanted the world to know that Ashanti was loved:

Lisa said all the family wants is Justice for ‘shanti’ as she was fondly called by her family.