The decomposed body of the 13-year-old boy, who was allegedly sodomised and dumped into the Berbice River while still alive, was recovered on Saturday afternoon.
The body of Leonard Archibald was discovered by a search party at about 15:00h at Khotbradt, East Bank Berbice (EBB), Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne) – some three miles from his home. He was found in a decomposed state on a mud flat.
His hands and feet were tied behind his back.
Archibald, of Lot 51 Brothers, EBB, went missing on Sunday last. He left home to accompany his three sisters from a birthday party in the neighbouring village of Sisters. As his siblings were on their way home, he rode ahead of them but never arrived home.
Scores of residents gathered after news that the body was recovered
The two suspects, who live three buildings away from the Sisters Police Station, were later arrested and on Friday confessed to sodomising the First Form student.
On Saturday, when Guyana Times visited the community, residents alleged that one of the reported perpetrators was a known child molester, who had a reputation of tying young boys and sexually assaulting them.
The now dead teenager’s brother; Orin, told this publication that his brother apparently lost consciousness during the vicious attack.
Police sources have since confirmed that during the confession, one of the suspects related that after the teen became unconscious, they thought that he had died and as a result dumped him in the Berbice River.
The search party that found the body
Meanwhile, in a twist to events, a 23-year-old has since come forward relating that some 10 years ago, one of the suspects had tied him to a tree and broke his jaw when he started screaming.
“I was coming out from the backdam and he catch me and tie me up in a tree and then the branch brake and I get to come down and lose out. When I coming out, I see he coming with a cutlass and I hide so he didn’t see me,” he related.
The man told this publication that he was not sexually assaulted.
Police made a breakthrough in the case after they received information that someone was heard screaming from one of the suspect’s home last Sunday evening. As such, ranks took one of the suspects to the house and searched the yard and house. It was during the search that the bicycle the teen was riding when he disappeared was found.
Archibald, who attended the Overwinning Secondary School, had gone missing since last Sunday night. Shortly after Archibald went missing, a pair of slippers was discovered at a remote site in the village. Villagers had linked the slippers to the prime suspect. (Andrew Carmichael)
