Murder of WCB teens may be gang-related – families tell Head of State

…5 remain in custody as Police now probe gang theory

The parents of Isaiah and Joel Henry, who were found brutally murdered on Sunday last, told President Irfaan Ali that they believe that the teens’ murders were gang-related and not political or race hate.
President Ali was at the time visiting the relatives of the teens at No 3 Village, West Coast Berbice, on Friday. The relatives reportedly told the President that Joel, Isaiah and Haresh Singh were all friends along with another teen.
Now that three of the four are dead, concerns are being raised about the fourth. It is believed that the four boys, who hung out together, might have seen some illegal activities in the backdam and became targets.

As such, the parents of the boys have called on the police to conduct a thorough investigation which would reveal the real perpetrators of the heinous crime. The relatives stated that they all want to see justice being served and called on others to allow the police to conduct their investigations.

The President has assured the parents and relatives of the dead teen, and to an extent, the residents, that he will do everything in his powers to make sure justice is served.

5 remain in custody
Meanwhile, when contacted, a police source told Guyana Times that they were told of the relatives’ suspicions and are working on that theory while processing other information and clues at their disposal.
The source said that the crime scene has been revisited several times as they gather information to crack the case.

Already, the Guyana Government has reached out to the international community to assist with the investigations. President Ali announced on Wednesday that they will be enlisting the British Government and the Regional Security System to come to support the Guyana Police Force’s investigative capacity regarding these murders.

Nevertheless, Guyana Times was told that five persons remain in Police custody and are assisting with investigations.
Only on Thursday, Crime Chief Wendell Blanhum reported that four of the seven persons who were initially arrested were released on station bail since their 72-hour detention period had expired. In addition, he stated that a few others were arrested between Wednesday and Thursday evening.
With respect to Singh’s murder, no arrests have been made.
On Sunday last, the mutilated bodies of the Henry cousins were found aback Cotton Tree, West Coast Berbice (WCB). They had left their Number Three Village, WCB home two Fridays ago to pick coconuts in the backdam, but did not return home.
Their butchered bodies were found in clumps of bushes partially covered in mud after relatives went in search of them on Sunday.
Post-mortem examinations conducted on Wednesday show that the teenagers died from haemorrhage and shock. In the case of 16-year-old Isaiah, he sustained a severed spine between the second and third vertebrae, and a number of chop wounds to his head.
The body of 19-year-old Joel had a total of 18 wounds. He, too, suffered a severed spine between the first and second vertebrae. It is believed that after sustaining wounds to the head, he fell to the ground and then got the wound that severed his spine.
Following the gruesome discovery, the police had arrested seven persons, including the owner of an estate upon which bloodstains were found, his son, two coconut vendors, and several employees. Three more persons are also being sought by Police.
The murders have 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 as protesters blocked traffic along the WCB roadway while robbing, beating and extorting from innocent commuters. Millions of dollars were also lost as vehicles went up in flames.
As the unrest continued, 17-year-old Haresh Singh of Number Three Village, West Coast Berbice (WCB), was found dead hours after he had left home on his motorcycle to attend his farm in the backdam.
It was reported that the sound of Haresh’s motorcycle stopped along the dam and shortly after, his family members saw a fire blazing on the dam. Suspicious that it was the motorcycle, relatives went to investigate, and discovered the motionless body of the teenager and the torched motorbike.
The teen was bleeding through his nose and had wounds to his head, ears, neck and hands. According to the family, there was also an “X” on his neck. They then rushed the 17-year-old to the New Amsterdam Hospital, but he succumbed on the way.
Initially, it was suspected that Singh’s murder was in retaliation for the deaths of Isaiah and Joel since one of his close relatives was among those arrested after the cousins’ murder.
However, family members are now claiming that the three teenagers’ horrific deaths might have been gang-related.
Meanwhile, during his visit to West Berbice, President Ali also met with the family of 34-year-old Prettipaul Hargobin of Bath Settlement, WCB, who was also killed during the unrest on Wednesday.