11-year-old drowns days after mother’s 2nd death anniversary

By LaWanda McAllister

As you enter the village of De Kinderen, West Coast Demerara (WCD), a sombre mood has engulfed the area, as residents mourn the death of an 11-year-old boy who lost his life by drowning on Friday.

Dead: Akon Richards

Dead is Akon Richards of Lot 45 De Kinderen, WCD.
Reports are that the child went swimming in a canal in the presence of his two younger cousins – aged nine and five – but failed to resurface from the water after encountering difficulties.
Richards, who lives with his grandmother, met his demise around 15:35h in the De Kinderen canal.
Police reports revealed that shortly after the child entered the water, his was being cheered on by his cousins but within minutes, he began encountering difficulties and was seen in CCTV footage to be struggling to remain on the surface of the water.
According to Police, the cousins notified their mother about what transpired but were initially ignored. However, they persisted and soon after, she began calling for the lad and got no response. She then called out to the child’s grandmother and alerted her.

Education Minister Priya Manickchand, who is also the Geographical MP for Region Three (Essequibo Islands–West Demerara), along with MP Dr Thandika Smith, visited and offered condolences to Carol Williams, the grandmother and guardian of Akon Richards

When Guyana Times visited the home of the dead child, his grandmother, Carol Williams, explained that she had frenetically been looking for Akon all afternoon, when she told that he was in the water.
“When I came home, one of the small children happened to say that Akon in the water. So, I said Akon can’t be in the water till this hour. And I said Akon can’t swim, so how he can be in the water,” the grandmother related.
The child’s grandmother said it was then she went to a nearby Chinese restaurant and asked the owner to check his security camera, which faces the canal.
“Right away, the big man run the camera…a few minutes after, he run out and say Carol, Akon in the water. When he said that I holler and my son come out… right away I say your nephew in there and he plunge and he was trying to see if he could have brought him up but he didn’t get him.”
Williams said family members and neighbours came together to search for the missing boy. Eventually, his motionless body was fished out of the De Kinderen canal at about 22:30h, and was escorted to the Leonora Cottage Hospital where the 11-year-old was pronounced dead on arrival.
She revealed that this is a very difficult time for her and her family, since Akon’s mother’s second death anniversary was only a few days ago.
“His mother died two years ago at this same time. This boy was a loving child, you can call his [name] 900 times to go anywhere, and to buy anything, and he would go with a smile. I will [feel] the impact more because since his mother dead, it’s me and he. Everywhere I go I would carry my grandson, if I going to the shop, I would carry my grandson. The only place I don’t carry him is when I go on a fine hustle,” she explained.
His body is presently at the Ezekiel Funeral Home awaiting a post-mortem examination (PME) as investigations into the matter continue.