Body of man who jumped off DHB washes up on foreshore
A jogger, at about 06:30h, stumbled upon the partly decomposed body of 34-year-old Vellone Thorne, who plunged off the Demerara Harbour Bridge (DHB) on Sunday, at the Kingston Foreshore on Tuesday.
The jogger immediately reported the discovery to the Police.
Thorne, of Sussex Street, Charlestown, Georgetown, parked his motorcycle on the DHB and made the fatal plunge between 07:20 and 07:35h. The incident was witnessed by a passer-by.
Based on reports received, a passer-by who saw what transpired immediately reported the matter to the Special Constabulary ranks on duty at the eastern end of the bridge.
The matter was then reported to the Providence Police Station and upon investigating, ranks discovered a black CG motorcycle parked on the northern side of the bridge facing west with its engine on.
Checks were made on the pontoons under the bridge but there were no signs of the man. The Police marine boat was subsequently dispatched to comb the river but that too proved futile.
Mental illness
A family member who spoke with Guyana Times related that Thorne has been suffering from a mental illness for the past three years. They said ever since he was diagnosed, he made several attempts to end his life but was unsuccessful.
The most recent was sometime last year, when he attempted to jump over the said Harbour Bridge, but was rescued by passers-by. The family member related that Thorne has no children, and did not work due to his medical condition.
His body is currently at the Lyken Funeral Home awaiting a post-mortem examination.
In 2011, mother of five Nalini DeAgrella of 26 Independence Street, La Grange, West Bank Demerara (WBD), jumped off the DHB following Valentine’s Day dinner with her husband. Based on reports from then, the 40-year-old woman and her husband, Leroy DeAgrella, were heading home at around 01:00h when an argument ensued while crossing the bridge, resulting in the woman demanding that he stop the vehicle. After the vehicle was stopped, she took the fatal jump.
Leroy would jump after his wife in a bid to save her but was unsuccessful. He was also admitted to the hospital. Nalini’s neighbours, back then, reported that she had suffered a mental breakdown prior to jumping over the DHB.
Back in 2014, a woman jumped off the Demerara Harbour Bridge (DHB), plunging to her death. Her body was pulled out of the river after an alarm was raised and placed into a boat under the bridge.
Then in January 2015, the body of another woman washed up in the vicinity of the Coast Guard Base at Ruimveldt after she had jumped to her death from the Demerara Harbour Bridge. It was reported that the woman exited a bus on the western side of the bridge and walked to the spot where she mounted herself and plunged overboard.