‘Please tell someone:’ Langford woman whose mother was murdered begs abuse survivors to get help

‘I didn’t believe this could happen to my mom either, but it did’

Warning: This article contains content some readers will find triggering

When Jacquie Bartlett heard her mother’s hushed whisper on the phone, she knew something was wrong. Her normally vivacious mother started calling only when her husband was out of the house they shared on the small Caribbean island, Antigua.

“One night she called and said I’m scared, I need to you to come,” Bartlett said. That was October 2004. Bartlett, a mother of two, was on a plane by November.

But it was just the beginning.

Bartlett’s mother, Edda Schenato, had lived in Antigua since 1980 where she owned and operated a small beachfront resort. She lived a simple but dreamy life of parties and dinners with friends.

Her life ended in tragedy eight years ago, stabbed to death by her ex-husband in the middle of the day in a public parking lot.

Looking back, Bartlett has one message: listen to your intuition. If you think something’s wrong, it probably is. After eight years of trauma therapy, Bartlett is ready to share her story in the hope that other people can take action before it’s too late.

Umberto Schenato, an Italian engineer working in Antigua, rented suites for his crew at Edda’s resort. Before long, he was smitten and wanted to move in. It was quick, but Bartlett remembers the two of them giggling together. He was always the party guy, walking in with a tray of champagne glasses.

They married in 1996. There are albums of happy photos from that time — letters from guests, visits from Edda’s grandkids, parties on the beach.

But within a few years, their relationship started to change. Bartlett noticed Umberto getting irate, losing his temper. She’d see Edda hustle to get dinner, saying Umberto would be mad if it was late. He wasn’t the same man who’d first wooed her mom.

In hindsight, it all looks like a warning.

Read the full article here: https://www.goldstreamgazette.com/news/please-tell-someone-langford-woman-whose-mother-was-murdered-begs-abuse-survivors-to-get-help/

Jacquie Bartlett with a photo of her mother before things went awry. (Zoe Ducklow/New Staff)
Jacquie Bartlett with a photo of her mother before things went awry. (Zoe Ducklow/New Staff)