The Post-Mortem Examination (PME), conducted on the badly mutilated bodies of Joel and Isaiah Henry, found that the teenagers died as a result of haemorrhage and shock owing to the extent of their wounds.
The autopsy was performed, this morning, by Government Pathologist Dr Nehaul Singh at the Memorial Gardens, Le Repentir Cemetery, Georgetown. It was witnessed by the father of Isaiah, Gladstone Henry, and the brother of Joel, Colwyn Henry, along with the family’s attorney Nigel Hughes.
Following the autopsy, Hughes related that in the case of 19-year-old Joel, he had a total of 18 wounds. It is believed that the fatal wound severed the teenager’s spine between the 1st and 2nd vertebrae.
“The pathologist suspected that after he got those wounds (to his head) he fell to the ground and then got the wound that severed his spine…his wound was 14 inches by 3 inches wide by 6 inches deep,” the Hughes related.
In the case of 16-year-old Isaiah, he also sustained a severed spine but unlike his cousin, the teenager had no defensive wounds. The attorney explained that Isaiah, however, sustained a number of chop wounds to his head.
“Isaiah had no defensive wounds to his hand. He had several more chops to his head. His spine was severed between the 2nd and 3rdvertebrae and his was 14 inches by 4 inches wide by 6 inches in depth,” the Attorney noted.
The family took photographs as well as video footage of the bodies and autopsy to share with foreign forensic experts for their opinions.
Isaiah’s father called on the protestors to desist from attacking persons and damaging property. He noted that the protests, calling for justice for his son and nephew, should be done in an orderly manner.
“I would not hold no other body responsible. I am not racist. I still love my Indian brothers and sisters. I am not supporting ‘unmoral’ protesting because I went out in Number 5 (Village) and I told them straight if you want to protest is our right, let we do it peacefully…We the nation cannot be fighting against one another because this is going on too long.
“Let we not see this thing as black, white, Chinese or ‘putagee’ (Portuguese) because if Blackman did do this or a Chinese man did do this or any man did do this and if is not my family, I believe that he will have to pay the penalty and not no other people who looked like him and get the texture of hair like him, but the person who committed the act should pay for the crime,” the elder Henry told reporters following the PME.
The father said he just wants to see justice for his son and nephew.
The badly-mutilated bodies of Isiah and Joel were discovered almost one day after they went missing. They reportedly left on Friday their Number 3 Village, West Coast Berbice home to pick coconuts in the backdam. Their disappearance prompted family members to launch several search parties to look for them. After hours of searching, the badly-chopped bodies were discovered among the bushes and were partially covered in mud.
Following the discovery and the gruesome manner in which the boys were murdered, Cotton Tree residents took to the streets. They blocked the roads and burned debris all while calling for justice.
