Body of missing farmer found floating in Essequibo River on birthday

– head was bagged, feet tied to engine

On a day when family members were supposed to be celebrating his life, the body of a Hog Island farmer who was reported missing since Thursday was found floating in the Essequibo River on Sunday morning.
The remains of 36-year-old Romeo Randolph, also known as “Fine Boy”, were found at about 08:00h on Sunday, August 8 – his birthday.

When Guyana Times called the now dead man’s family for an interview on Sunday, his sister-in-law said that based on what they were told, when Randolph was found, his head was in a bag which had been tapped to his neck.
She said she was also told that his body was tied to his boat engine, which was at the bottom of the river. It is still unclear how the man’s body resurfaced.
The woman said Randolph was last heard from on Thursday around 15:00h. She said he had left his Tuschen, West Coast Demerara (WCD) home on Thursday morning and travelled to Hog Island to conduct business but never returned.
She added that on Thursday night when he was supposed to have returned home, efforts to contact him proved futile.
“On Friday morning we got a call that a fisherman saw his boat somewhere in the river floating. After that, his wife and my husband went to Hog Island to see if they would find his body,” she said.
Upon arriving at the area, Randolph was not seen, according to his family. Two days later, the family was informed that his body was found floating in the Essequibo River.
She said so far, the family is of the belief that the man, who was the father of 18-month-old and 10-year-old girls, might have been murdered.
His sister-in-law said if that was truly the case, family members would be baffled since based on their knowledge, the now deceased had no issue with anyone.
“Romeo was a very nice and quiet person. Since I joined this family, I can’t remember hearing him in any problem. He and nobody don’t have problems. He comes his way straight, and go his way straight…,” she said.
The woman said Randolph’s death was truly affecting the family, and they hope to get closure on what really led to his demise.
“This is affecting from the littlest child to the biggest person in our family, it is really affecting us a lot,” she expressed.
She further added that Randolph was the breadwinner for his family, and his wife was unable to fathom that he was gone.
“His wife can’t even take it. She can’t even believe it. She is taking it really hard.”
Investigators had launched a probe into the man’s initial disappearance and are now digging deeper to find out what led to his demise.