6-year-old girl found unconscious in swamp near Berbice home

A six-year-old girl was on Sunday afternoon found in an unconscious state in a swampy area near her Goed Bananen Land, East Canje, Berbice home. The child lives with her 25-year-old mother, a housewife. Her grandparents also live in the same yard but in a separate house. The girl’s mother and father are separated but the father was given visitation rights to spend time with his daughter every Sunday. On Sunday, the child’s father contacted the mother at about 08:00h and made arrangements to collect the child. According to the mother, she prepared the child and left her in the yard playing. However, at about 12:30h when the grandfather made checks for the child, he did not find her. The child’s grandmother, who was at her home doing chores, said that she saw the child at about 11:30h. As a result, a search party was immediately formed by relatives and friends, who combed the entire area and at around 14:00h, the grandfather found the girl submerged in a swampy area which is located about 500ft away from the house. She was subsequently picked up in an unconscious state and rushed to New Amsterdam Public Hospital. However, as a result of the extent of her injuries, she was transferred to Georgetown Public Hospital, where she is battling for her life. Relatives said that up to Monday evening, the child was still in an unconscious state in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU). The child, according to her grandparents, suffered a laceration to the back of her head along with other head injuries. “They take out X-ray and say that she skull fracture,” the child’s grandmother related. According to the grandparents, the child was excited to spend time with her father. “While she playing all the times, she looking for him. Once she knows she daddy coming for her, she don’t leave the yard, she does be excited,” the grandmother related.
Recalling the incident, the child’s grandfather said: “I could have drop dead when I see her. This child face was turned to the dirt… We search all over and then we go further down the dam and they tell me that she don’t go so far and I tell them go down and look. When I go down I walk pass her watching over the next side and when I turn back and watch I see she lie down there on the dirt.”
He added that after seeing his granddaughter in that state, he picked her up and checked to see if she was breathing and started to run with her screaming for help.
At the time of the discovery, the grandfather said that he did not know that the girl had head injuries since she was covered in mud.
“When I reach by the gate and the police and everybody see that I coming they speed down back and they collect the child from me and jump in the jeep and hustle rush she to the hospital,” he added.
Meanwhile, the grandfather said that a piece of wood was seen in close proximity of the child. The piece of wood was about one foot in length and two-inches by two-inches in circumference but did not seem to have any blood on it. However, investigators have since photographed it.
The child’s mother has since been taken into custody assisting with the investigation. (Andrew Carmichael)