5 remain in custody as Police check out alibis – source

Murder of WCB teens

With $3 million up for grabs as a reward for any information that may lead to the arrest and prosecution of those responsible for the murders of Isaiah and Joel Henry and Haresh Singh, the Police have received information which led to the arrest of five men earlier in the week.

Based on reports received, the five men, all of whom are from Rosignol, West Coast Berbice (WCB), remain in custody and are being interrogated by detectives. A source told Guyana Times that the Police received information and have acted accordingly.
He noted that it is too early to determine if the men in custody were involved in the murder of the Henry boys whose mutilated bodies were found in a backdam at Cotton Tree, West Coast Berbice (WCB) on September 6, and Haresh Singh whose body was discovered on September 9, 2020.
The source explained that the men have all provided alibis, which are presently being checked out by the investigators. The source nevertheless stated that they are not ruling out any leads that may arrive at the detectives’ desks at this point in time.
“Once a lead is provided, we will pursue same until the end… All we want are those responsible for the teens’ deaths, so that that parents, family, villagers and the country as a whole could have closure.”
On this note, however, the source stated that the investigation is active and is being very careful in collecting data and evidence which would not see the wrong person (s) being prosecuted for the heinous crime.
“The Police continue to interrogate the five men who are in custody,” the source stated.
Only recently, a five-member team of investigators from the Regional Security System (RSS) visited Guyana to assist the Guyana Police Force (GPF) with its investigations into the murders.
After its investigations, the team recommended that the Police Force do more work, while noting that the local detectives are competent to investigate and bring the perpetrators to justice.
President Dr Irfaan Ali, prompted for a comment on the content of the RSS report, stated, “I have been briefed on the content of it [the report], and what I have been told is that the RSS did some work, they recommended some additional work to be done, but in total they were satisfied with the work the local Police have done.”
On September 6, the bodies of Isaiah and Joel Henry were found in the backlands of Cotton Tree, WCB – almost one day after they were reported missing. They had left their Number Three Village, WCB home to pick coconuts in the backlands, but did not return home. Their butchered bodies were found in clumps of bushes partially covered in mud, after relatives went in search of them.
The news of their deaths sparked protests across several villages along the West Berbice corridor, where commuters and other innocent persons were beaten and robbed. With roads blocked, some vehicles were also torched.
And then, on September 9, 17-year-old Haresh Singh was found murdered at the Number Three Village backlands. It is suspected that his death was in retaliation for the murders of Isaiah and Joel, since he is related to one of the persons initially held by the Police.
Several persons who were arrested for the murder of the Henry teens were released on station bail, while to date, no arrest has been made in relation to Singh’s murder.
All three teens suffered horrendous deaths. According to post-mortem results, the Henry teens died as a result of haemorrhage and shock owing to the extent of their wounds; their spines were also severed. In the case of Singh, his death was a result of a brain haemorrhage, blunt trauma to the head compounded by compression injuries to the neck.
Police had explained that the location where the bodies of the Henry boys were found was not the primary crime scene; that is, it was not the location where the young men were killed.
“Person(s) moved the bodies after the murder and placed them at the locations where they were subsequently discovered,” the GPF had explained.
Notwithstanding, some forensic evidence was retrieved from the secondary crime scene, and it was submitted to the Guyana Forensic Laboratory for DNA analysis to be conducted. The GPF had also explained that DNA samples were collected from the suspects who were initially in custody and sent for comparative analysis. On September 14, the Force explained that the results would be available in three weeks.
The results, however, came back but none of the samples that were taken to St. Lucia implicated any of the men who were initially taken into custody.
Meanwhile, an Argentine Team of Forensic Anthropology, the world’s foremost agency in forensic anthropology, which was expected to support the Police Force in its probe, is yet to arrive. Of recent, there were no updates with respect to the team’s visit.