Elderly women allegedly strangled to death

…shocked church members flock scene in mourning

By Ashraf Dabie

Scores of church members and curious onlookers flocked to the building at the corner of Albert Street and South Road, Georgetown on Tuesday morning following the shocking discovery of the bodies of two elderly women of the Full Gospel Assembly of God Church, who were believed to have been strangled during a suspected robbery.

The dead women have been identified as 87-year-old Constance Fraser, also known as “Mother Fraser,” and her niece, 75-year-old Phyllis Caesar.
According to information relayed by the distraught gathering, the duo was found in the upper flat of the Lot 243 Central Georgetown home, lying motionlessly in their respective bedrooms. Caesar’s hands and legs were said to have been bound and her mouth stuffed with cloth.

Speculations are that the defenseless duo were ambushed by robbers who, in an attempt to cart off their valuables, constrained the women as they ransacked their home in the wee hours of Tuesday.
Police investigations have also revealed that the perpetrators gained access through the western entrance of the building, and it has been confirmed that items have gone missing from the house.
The elderly women were last seen while attending church on Monday evening. However, an alarm was raised after Caesar failed to report to her place of worship the following morning, as customary, prompting several attempts to contact the duo, all of which were to no avail. Acting on suspicion, a member of the congregation then alerted the Police, and together they ventured into the home, where they discovered the two women dead.

“Sister Phyllis does normally be the one to open the church and disable the alarms. So when she didn’t go in today, the church administrator tried to call her but her phone wasn’t answered. Then he went by her, and no one answered; so he became worried and (called) the Police,” one church member explained.
Meanwhile, given the brutal attack which led to the demise of the senior, well-loved church members, the congregation is calling for the ‘heads’ of those involved in this heinous crime. Among those mourning the death of the well-loved elders of the church was Devon Ragubir, who outlined the extent of this loss to the Full Gospel Assembly of God.
In doing so, he stated, “We call them Aunty Phyllis and Mother Fraser. She (Caesar) taught me as a boy growing up at the church. She (also) taught my daughter and my son.”
Ragubir pointed out that he was informed of the incident by his wife, but found it hard to believe. The man then rushed to the home of the two women and was greeted by the crowd, confirming the dreadful news.
The aggrieved man went on to say, “It is really sad to know that somebody could do something as cruel and weak as this: to tie these two elderly women up as though they are animals. I am really disappointed. To kill elderly women is just not right; could never be right.”
As such, he noted, “I am hoping that when they do find these people, capital punishment is used. I really hope that the people pay truly for this.”
Ragubir was backed by a number of members attached to his church, all of whom are of the belief that stringent measures should be employed in ensuring that justice is served to the perpetrators of this attack.
On man even told this publication, “They need the rope to come back for these robbers and murderers, to ease with these things. These are two people that can hardly help themselves.”
Guyana Times understands that, on multiple occasions, bandits had broken into the home of the two defenceless women. During a recent attack just about a month ago, the criminals took off with a cellular phone as well as a quantity of cash.
Moreover, loved ones of the deceased pointed out that they had received their pensions just yesterday (Monday), and in light of this coincidence, they are convinced that the attack had been carried out by persons close to the victims.
The now dead Constance Fraser and Phyllis Caesar were both described as “kind, caring and God- fearing women,” known to frequent the church. Fraser is said to be a widow and mother of several overseas-based children, while Caesar functions as a Sunday School teacher at the Full Gospel Assembly of God.
The bodies of the duo were taken to the Lyken Funeral Home, leaving behind scores of church members and loved ones inconsolable in their grief.