Mother, 8-year-old son found murdered in Berbice home

…child found in bed with stab wound, mother chopped to neck, shoulder, chest

A mother and her only son were found dead at their Rose Hall Town, Corentyne, Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne) home on Wednesday afternoon.
Dead are 31-year-old Melisa Arokium and her eight-year-old son Anthony Arokium.
The discovery of the two bodies was made shortly after 13:00h by the now dead woman’s brother. He had stopped by to use the washroom and reportedly saw her body lying in a pool of blood on the floor.
The child was lying in his bed, also in a pool of blood, with what appeared to be at least one stab wound to the back of his neck while his mother was seen with what appeared to be chop wounds to the neck, shoulder and chest.

Reports are that a broom was seen on the floor a short distance away from the woman’s body and it appeared that she was sweeping at the time of the attack.
Police said there were no initial signs of forced entry and the initial investigation did not suggest a robbery, but they could not say if items were missing from the house.

Regional Commander, Senior Superintendent Shivpersaud Bacchus said four persons were taken into custody. He referred to them as ‘persons of interest’ but noted that the investigation is ongoing.
Three of the four, Bacchus said, are close family members. He said Police were able to detect what appeared to be bloodstains a short distance away from the house, but could not confirm whether it was human or animal blood.
Arokium operated a small grocery shop from her home.
She shared the building with her brother, who is a cane harvester, but they lived in separate apartments. That brother left home at 04:00h to go to work. He last saw his sister alive the previous afternoon.
Reports are that he returned from work at about 11:00h and did not notice anything amiss.
When the discovery of the bodies was made, he had left home on personal business.
The lots near Arokium’s home are covered with thick vegetation, reaching more than 20 feet in the air.
A cousin of the now dead woman, Leyland Moore, said Arokium was a peace-loving person.
“She don’t make problems with people so. Every morning she does carry she son to lessons and she does stop and me and she does talk.”
Meanwhile, Police had initially called Ramo’s Funeral Parlour of Rose Hall Town to remove the bodies and after about two hours of waiting, they were informed that Arokium Funeral Parlour of New Amsterdam was going to remove the bodies. The latter made the request to the Police, stating that the deceased and the funeral home’s owner were related. (G4)