Protests erupt for murders of Henry cousins to be solved

— Police engage relatives of murdered teens

Residents of Number Five Village, West Coast Berbice (WCB), Region Five (Mahaica-Berbice), on Sunday once again blocked the main access road by burning tyres as they called for a speedy conclusion of the investigation into the gruesome murders of 16-year-old Isaiah Henry and 19-year-old Joel Henry.

The mutilated bodies of the two teens were found in a backdam at Cotton Tree, WCB, on September 6, two days after they went missing and although several persons were arrested, the Police are yet to make a breakthrough in the case.
The Police, via a press release, stated that at about 10:30h on the day in question persons claiming to be the relatives of the late Isaiah and Joel Henry and some residents of Number 5 Village, began blocking the Number Five Village Bridge with old tyres and debris and set them alight.
“A Police patrol vehicle arrived shortly thereafter but had to request assistance. Subsequently, additional ranks were deployed to the scene at Number Five Village and commenced clearing the bridge,” the Police stated.
Meanwhile, the Police said at about 13:15h, they were successful in clearing the bridge but had to immediately respond to reports that the Number Three Village Public Road had been blocked.

An hour later they were successful in clearing the roadway.
The Police say protesters voiced concerns over the seeming delay in ongoing investigations but were repeatedly told that the protest was illegal and unlawful and if they do not desist from carrying out the activity, they will be arrested.
However, senior ranks of the Guyana Police Force (GPF) subsequently visited the relatives of the two teenagers and reminded them that the ranks from the Major Crimes Unit are continuing the probe with the assistance from a five-member team from the Regional Security System (RSS).
Nevertheless, the release stated that ranks will remain on the ground until normalcy is restored. The blocking of the roadway left hundreds stranded since vehicular traffic was brought to a halt. This is a resemblance to the one-week-long protest actions by the villagers following the discovery of the two teenagers.
Back then, several vehicles were set on fire while civilians were beaten and robbed by the mob.
The protest had also spread to the East Coast of Demerara and New Amsterdam and the Corentyne in Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne) and a few other parts of the country as persons called for justice for the Henry teens.
On Sunday, however, several vehicles were also damaged after they were pelted with stones by the protesters. Some were forced to disembark public transportation and take a different route to pass the area where the protest was ongoing.
The RSS team arrived in the country on Monday last and has already met with Commissioner of Police (ag) Nigel Hoppie, Crime Chief Senior Superintendent Wendell Blanhum, and ranks of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) as well as the Major Crimes Unit (MCU).
According to a statement from the GPF, “the Commissioner welcomed them to Guyana and assured them of the Guyana Police Force’s commitment to make available all the necessary resources to facilitate a conducive environment for their work”.
The team of investigators will be assisting with the investigation and has been given scope to review and explore all avenues necessary to find answers relating to the murders.
However, the identities of the team members were not disclosed to the public. The visit of the RSS team is as a result of a Memorandum of Understanding between the Government of Guyana and the Caribbean Community Implementation Agency for Crime and Security (Caricom IMPACS) consequent to a decision by Guyana’s President, Dr Irfaan Ali, to seek regional assistance with the investigations.
On September 6, 2020, the bodies of Isaiah and Joel Henry were found in the backlands at West Coast Berbice. They had left their Number Three Village home to pick coconuts 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. And then, on September 9, 2020, 17-year-old Haresh Singh was found murdered at the Number Three Village backlands.
It is suspected that his death was in retaliation for the murders of Isaiah and Joel, since he is related to one of the persons initially held by the Police.
Several persons who were arrested for the murder of the Henry teens were released on station bail, while to date, no arrest has been made in relation to Singh’s murder. All three teens suffered horrendous deaths.
Police had explained that the location where the bodies of the Henry boys were found was not the primary crime scene, that is, it is not the location where the young men were killed.
“Person(s) moved the bodies after the murder and placed them at the locations where they were subsequently discovered,” the GPF had explained.
Meanwhile, late last week, the Guyana Police Force had stated that the Argentine Team of Forensic Anthropology (Equipo Argentino de Antropologia Forensica-EAAF) is currently being engaged to lend assistance into the investigation of the murders of Isaiah Henry, Joel Henry and Haresh Singh. The team is expected to be in Guyana for a week and a report of its findings will be made available within a month.