Teen, toddler drown in separate tragedies at Mahaica, Kwakwani

Two separate drowning incidents on Wednesday have resulted in the deaths of 14-year-old Emmanuel Downer of Lot 50 Haslington Village, East Coast Demerara and two-year-old Tauren McLeanon of Kwakwani Waterfront, an Upper Berbice riverine community in Region 10 (Upper Demerara-Berbice).
Reports are that after school had been over for the day, Emmanuel Downer had gone swimming with three other students of Lancaster Secondary School in the Atlantic Ocean at Unity Beach in Mahaica, at around 16:00h.
Preliminary investigations revealed that the students had been using an old freezer as a makeshift raft, and while they were floating offshore, the freezer capsized and Downer disappeared beneath the water.
Police have said that one of the students immediately contacted Downer’s mother, Elisha Dailey, and informed her of what had happened. The incident was subsequently reported at the Cove and John Police Station, and a search operation was started.
Downer’s body was found lying face-up on a sandbank approximately 500 metres from shore, entangled in a fishing seine. His body has been taken to the Memorial Gardens Funeral Home to await a post-mortem examination.
In the other incident, 39-year-old Tamika Joaquin, the mother of two-year-old Tauren McLeanon, told investigators that Tauren had gone to the river shortly after 15:00h to bathe, but subsequently disappeared.
Upon realising that the child was missing, residents conducted a search and discovered Tauren’s lifeless body in the river.
Transported to the Kwakwani Hospital, the toddler was pronounced dead on arrival. His body is currently at the hospital’s morgue, awaiting a post-mortem examination.
Investigations into both incidents are ongoing.