Police in E Division (Linden-Kwakwani) as of Monday afternoon were still trying to locate the body of 19-year-old Esther Weekes of Lot 14 Burnham Drive, Wismar, Linden, who reportedly drowned in the Demerara River in the vicinity of Burnham Drive and Silvertown, Wismar on Sunday.
Nineteen-year-old Esther Weekes
The search party continued to search a section of the river in speedboat, however up to press time, there was still no sign of the teen. Divisional Commander Fazil Karimbaksh said the search was not specified to the area where the teen reportedly drowned but also surrounding areas. However, family members of the teen expressed some disappointment with the way the search was conducted, noted that at least two members of the family were expected to be a part of the search; however they were told that there were not enough life jackets. The family also complained that Police seemed reluctant to conduct the search and also appeared ill-equipped to do so.
The Divisional Commander when contacted noted however, that it was not necessary for the family to be a part of the search since the Police were aware of the location. In the case of any sitings, he said undertakers would be summoned, while he was optimistic that the body might be recovered by Tuesday.
Meanwhile, Weekes’ family continued to mourn the tragic event. At the time of the incident, Weekes was with her aunt, Cherryann DeJonge and her 11-year-old son. DeJonge on Monday recalled that on the fateful day, the deceased had pestered her for hours to go to the location. She said she was reluctant at first, since one of her sons almost drowned at the same place the day before. She noted that she finally gave in but then decided that she was going to go along to monitor Weekes and her son while they were there, refusing to leaving them alone.
“If I could have peeked into the future and get any knowledge that this would have happened,” the woman noted regretfully. Weekes’ great uncle also said that he warned the trio against venturing to the location. DeJonge said she and her niece were very close. She recalled that Weekes and her son were playing when the lad slipped into the water and Weekes extended her hand in an effort to save him, when both went overboard. The woman said their hands “barely touched” when Weekes went under.
Revisiting the scene on Monday, the woman told this publication that she was still in disbelief as to how her niece could have drowned since she noted that she did not drift far away from land. The grieving woman said she could still hear the haunting final words of her niece as she struggled to stay afloat. She is adamant that the incident was related to something “spiritual”.
“She just kept saying, “Auntie Cherry please save me”,” DeJonge said melancholy. The woman said her son who was able to make it back to land safely, told her afterwards that the water in the section of the river was “circling around” when they went in. Over the years, several people have drowned in the said area of the river. One of the last reported cases was in September 2014, when 14-year-old Omar Mitchel of Half Mile, Wismar, Linden drowned while playing with friends in the vicinity of the old Sawmill. Reports had indicated that he was pushed into the river by one of his friends.
