Sophia lad died from drowning, early reports say

– Mother revisited scene of discovery

Eight-year-old Isaiah Smartt who was found dead in a swamp near his Block E, Sophia, Greater Georgetown home on Tuesday may have died as a result of drowning.
According to a Police source, the lad was found motionless in a drain, which contained about three feet of water. Guyana Times learnt that the boy was clad in a blue raincoat at the time of his demise.
Smartt, who attended the FE Pollard Primary School in Kitty, Georgetown, was found around 19:00h by residents. Eyewitnesses say the body was swollen when found which suggested that the lad may have been there for more than 24 hours.
This publication was told Wednesday that the area where the lad was found was alongside an unoccupied concrete house, whose former inhabitants were reportedly overseas. This newspaper was later told that the proprietors of the house at the back were relatives of the family who own the unoccupied concrete house. It was, however, claimed that they do not access their home through the yard of the unoccupied house.
Guyana Times understands that the lad on Monday afternoon was playing, but after a relative retired to sleep, he was discovered missing. According to reports, Isaiah’s mother, Joycelyn Pickett, was under the impression that the child went to his father’s home and as such, when he did not return home, she did not pay any heed. However, things took a turn for the worse when Pickett learnt that her son had died.
On Wednesday, Pickett returned to the scene where her son was discovered, but had to be ushered away to lessen the trauma on recalling seeing her son’s body.
The cause of death will soon be determined as the body awaits a post-mortem examination at the Lyken Funeral Home. The family of the boy believes that foul play might have been involved. Isaiah was described as a mannerly child and a great cricketer by those who knew him.
Police investigations are continuing.