Argentine forensic team’s arrival delayed due to COVID 19 – source

WCB murders

The Argentine Team of Forensic Anthropology, the world’s foremost agency in forensic anthropology which was expected to arrive in Guyana to support the Guyana Police Force in its probe into the murders of the three teenagers in West Coast Berbice (WCB) has suffered a setback due to the high number of COVID-19 cases in that country.
According to a well-placed source, the team was due in Guyana two weeks ago to commence their investigations but with the high cases of the novel coronavirus in that country, it is unclear when the team will arrive.
Presently, Argentina has over one million COVID-19 cases with an estimated 27,000 deaths. However, the source stated that once the team arrives in Guyana, their main priority is to comb the areas where the mutilated bodies of the teens were discovered for any forensic evidence.
Guyana Times was told that there was no blood at the scene where the Henry teens were discovered. “The scene had not one drop of blood… the area leading to where Joel Henry and Isaiah Henry were discovered had no blood… It’s like the body of these boys were drained then taken to Cotton Tree Backdam,” the source said.
In addition, the source further related that a woman was recently arrested based on information investigators would have received, but after probing the leads, she was subsequently released.
“After we got information about the suspect, we travelled to Canje Creek to investigate the lead that was available at the time but that turned out to be nothing,” the source added.
The investigative team is expected to revisit the scene later in the week.
The butchered bodies of the Henry teens were found in clumps of bushes and partially covered in mud after relatives went in search of them on August 6.
Post-mortem examinations conducted revealed that the teenagers died from haemorrhage and shock. In the case of 16-year-old Isaiah, he sustained a severed spine between the second and third vertebrae and a number of chop wounds to his head.
The body of 19-year-old Joel had a total of 18 wounds. He, too, suffered a severed spine between the first and second vertebrae. It is believed that after sustaining wounds to the head, he fell to the ground and then got the wound that severed his spine.
The murders sparked widespread protest action, particularly along the West Coast Berbice corridor, with persons blocked the roads and burned debris while calling for justice.
The situation escalated as protesters blocked traffic along the WCB roadway while robbing, beating and extorting innocent commuters. Millions of dollars were also lost as vehicles went up in flames.
As the unrest continued, 17-year-old Haresh Singh of Number Three Village, West Coast Berbice (WCB), was found dead hours after he had left home on his motorcycle to attend his family’s farm in the backdam.
It was reported that the sound of Haresh’s motorcycle stopped along the dam and shortly after, his family members saw a fire blazing on the dam. Suspicious that it was the motorcycle, relatives went to investigate and discovered the motionless body of the teenager and the torched motorbike.
The teen was bleeding through his nose and had wounds to his head, ears, neck and hands. According to the family, there was also an “X” on his neck. They then rushed the 17-year-old to the New Amsterdam Hospital, but he succumbed on the way.
Initially, it was suspected that Singh’s murder was in retaliation for the deaths of Isaiah and Joel since one of his close relatives was among those arrested after the cousins’ murder.
Meanwhile, Police had established that 16-year-old Isaiah and 19-year-old Joel Henry were murdered in one location and then their bodies transported to the coconut estate on which they were discovered.
The Government had invited a five-member team of investigators from the Regional Security System (RSS) to visit Guyana to assist the Guyana Police Force.
The findings of the RSS investigation have not been released to the public.
When contacted on Tuesday for a comment on the RSS report, Crime Chief Wendell Blanhum said he did not have any comments. He, however, stated that Police are still pursuing various leads. With respect to the results of the DNA sent to St Lucia, the police are still awaiting its return.