Police in Regional Division Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam) have launched an investigation into the suspected drowning of Deon Baird, a 28-year-old labourer from Princeville, Lake Mainstay, Essequibo Coast.
Baird’s lifeless body was discovered floating in the waters of Lake Mainstay Resort on Tuesday, nearly a day after he was last seen alive.
According to reports, Baird left home around 11:00h on Monday, after telling his mother, Janet Gomes, that he was heading to Lake Mainstay Resort. When he failed to return home that evening, Gomes, a 56-year-old housewife, grew concerned and informed her daughter, 25-year-old Ashana Baird, who works as a pathway worker in Princeville.
The following morning, Ashana went to Lake Mainstay Resort to look for her brother. At around 11:00h, she made a horrifying discovery, a body floating face down in the water, about 30 feet from the deck bar.
Dead: Deon Baird
She immediately raised an alarm, and with the help of villagers, the body was pulled from the water. She then identified it as her brother, Deon Baird.
Reports are that detectives arrived at the scene around 13:00h and processed the area. It was noted that Baird’s body was clad only in multi-colored underpants. A search of the immediate vicinity led to the discovery of a pair of jeans, a jersey, and slippers, belonging to him, on a bench at the deck bar.
Police retrieved CCTV footage from the deck bar at Lake Mainstay Resort. The video reportedly showed Baird removing his clothing and plunging into the water on the eastern side of the deck bar.
Investigators also questioned several individuals at the resort, including a 20-year-old bartender. The man recalled that at around 17:00h on Monday, he saw Baird socialising with other villagers.
Shortly after, he noticed that Baird was alone. However, the bartender said he did not see when Baird disappeared, as he was attending to other customers at the time.
Following the retrieval of Baird’s body, police transported it to the Suddie Public Hospital and later transferred to the Suddie Mortuary, where a post-mortem examination is expected to be conducted to determine the official cause of death.
An investigation has been launched.
