FBI assisting local Police with probe

WCB teens’ murder

Crime Chief Wendell Blanhum on Wednesday confirmed that the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is providing the Guyana Police Force with technical assistance in its probe of the gruesome murders of West Coast Berbice cousins Joel and Isaiah Henry and Haresh Singh.
While the Crime Chief has refused to disclose any further information, he said the FBI has already begun working with the Police Force. The Police Force is continuing to receive regional and international help in probing the brutal killings of the three teenagers, which have led to many protest actions erupting across the country.
Now, four months after the killings, several persons have been detained for questioning, but no charges have been laid.
President Dr Irfaan Ali has already reassured the nation that the Government would leave no stone unturned in bringing the perpetrators to justice. In this regard, in November 2020, a team from the Regional Security Systems (RSS) arrived in Guyana to aid in the murder investigations. The RSS recommended that the Police Force conduct additional investigations.
Soon after, the Police Force announced that it was offering $3 million to anyone who has information that could lead to the arrest and prosecution of the killers.
Meanwhile, President of the Argentine Team of Forensic Anthropology, Dr Luis Fondebrider, was in Guyana to determine if any help could be offered by the Argentine team.
Following discussions with the Police Force and Home Affairs Minister Robeson Benn, Dr Fondebrider was given access to the teens’ autopsy and pathology reports. During his visit here, Dr Fondebrider met with the relatives of the dead teenagers, and also visited the crime scene, where he gathered preliminary information.
On September 6, 2020, the badly mutilated bodies of the Henry cousins: Isaiah, 16, and Joel 19, were found in the backlands at West Coast Berbice after they had left their Number Three Village home to pick coconuts but did not return home. Three days later, on September 9, 2020, 17-year-old Haresh Singh was found murdered at the Number Three Village backlands in what was dubbed a retaliatory killing. The murders sparked widespread protest action, particularly along the West Coast Berbice corridor, with persons blocking the roads and burning debris while calling for justice.
The situation escalated when 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.