Almost 3 years later: Skeletal remains of cop missing since 2020 found in shallow grave
…“I need answers” – mother
The Guyana Police Force (GPF) made a major breakthrough that could finally provide answers on the mysterious disappearance of Police Constable Quincy Lewis. On Wednesday afternoon, detectives uncovered human skeletal remains believed to be those of Lewis. The officer had been reported missing since June 19, 2020, and his whereabouts had remained a mystery.
The remains were found buried in a shallow grave at the Madewini Sandpit area, located on the Linden-Soesdyke Highway, and were quickly credited as those of Lewis. This was after intensive interrogation of two suspects who allegedly admitted that they had known about the killing of the officer.
On Wednesday, both suspects cooperated with investigators and pinpointed the location where Lewis’s body was buried.
It was an emotional moment for the family and friends of the missing officer who had been waiting anxiously for news since his disappearance.
Lured
According to Crime Chief Wendell Blanhum, the missing Policeman was reportedly lured to a woman’s home on the East Bank of Demerara (EBD), where he was allegedly shot dead. His body was then transported and buried in a shallow grave on the Linden-Soesdyke Highway. This shocking revelation has left the community in disbelief and outrage that a Police Officer could be targeted in such a manner.
On the day he went missing, Lewis had visited his La Parfaite Harmonie, West Bank Demerara (WBD) home to uplift a few pieces of clothes before boarding a motor car.
His family became aware that he was missing when the owner of the car, which he had left in, went to his family four days later, to collect his car.
The family had been under the impression that was on duty and became alarmed when they were told he did not turn up for work. Several efforts were made to contact Lewis’s phone, but they were all in vain.
Closed-Circuit Television (CCTV) surveillance recordings later revealed that Lewis crossed the Demerara Harbour Bridge, which is less than a 10-minute drive from where he was stationed at Agricola. He was last seen entering Greenfield Park, EBD. Months after he disappeared, Lewis’s cell phone was found in the Timehri, EBD area with the screen cracked.
This dramatic discovery marks a significant breakthrough in the case, providing hope that justice would finally be served for Lewis and his family. On Wednesday evening, the GPF said that it intended to send samples of the remains for DNA testing and would use all legal avenues to ensure that the other two suspects, who were named in the murder, be extradited to Guyana to answer to the allegations in relation to Lewis’s death.
Need answers
Meanwhile, it is a bittersweet moment for Lewis’s family, who can now lay their loved one to rest, but are still grieving his loss.
Speaking with Guyana Times on Wednesday evening, the officer’s mother, Charlene Jordan said she was confused by the entire situation.
“Since when they found his phone in Timehri or Splashmin, they should have been searching that entire area…I am waiting and I need answers right now. While they are doing their investigations to confirm if that is him or not, I need answers.”
“What happened with the car? I want to know if they find it or nothing…,” she cried.
She said she was hearing conflicting stories about her son’s death. Jordan said she was told that it was her son’s girlfriend who lured him to his death, and the woman was married. However, she said the woman that she knew as his girlfriend was not married and she confirmed such, because she was in contact with the woman’s parents who said she was not married.
“The girl I know he was with she wasn’t married. I spoke to her father and her stepmother. I know certainly he was in a relationship with that girl. I don’t know any other person that he was in a relationship with.
“I hear some people talking about another girl, but that girl, based on what he told me, they had an incident some time back. At the time he was working at one Police station… he was transferred to another Police station because of the problem they had.”
She said that some time later, “he then told me that the girl who he had the problem with went or was living overseas…she had come into the country and they became friends. I warned him to stay away from her and not to get mixed up, because they already had problems and I don’t want him to get involved,” she explained.
The grieving mother said she was so confused by all the information she was receiving as there were so many theories. She said that she did not know the suspects.
When asked if she thinks she has gotten closure on her son’s disappearance, the woman responded “no”.
“I feel like I will have to get more information and know the truth of what happened to my son, and maybe then I will get some kind of closure. In the meantime, I want answers,” an emotional Jordan said. (G9)