18-Year-Old Zowie Tomlinson to Be Laid to Rest Today

Family, friends and members of the Parham community will gather this afternoon to bid a final farewell to 18-year-old Zowie Tomlinson, nearly two months after her tragic death at Devil’s Bridge.

Tomlinson’s funeral service is scheduled for 2 p.m. today, Tuesday, August 11, at the Parham Pentecostal Church, where loved ones are expected to come together to celebrate her life and pay their final respects.

Her death in June stunned the community and prompted an extensive search involving the police and the Antigua and Barbuda Defence Force Coast Guard.

The young woman died following an incident at Devil’s Bridge during the late-night hours of June 20. Preliminary reports at the time indicated that she had reportedly gone over the natural bridge and into the sea.

Difficult conditions forced the operation to be suspended overnight, but the search resumed the following morning. Coast Guard personnel later recovered Tomlinson’s body from the water and brought it ashore.

Born on June 4, 2008, Tomlinson had celebrated her 18th birthday just over two weeks before her death.

This afternoon, attention will turn away from the circumstances surrounding her death and towards remembering the life she lived, as those closest to Tomlinson gather to say their final goodbyes and support her family during what is expected to be an emotional farewell.