The body of a teenager whose face was mutilated beyond recognition was pulled from the Berbice River on Thursday morning, more than 12 hours after she had been reported missing.
Undertakers removing the body on Thursday evening
The dead teenager has been identified as 17-year-old Melissa Shomia of Lot 58 Stanleytown, New Amsterdam, Region Six (East Berbice/ Corentyne).
Based on information gathered, the now dead teen was last seen on Wednesday evening, travelling with a male workmate in a small boat. After some time had elapsed, the male worker had returned to shore without the teen, and had claimed she had jumped overboard.
The male co-worker of the now dead teen being taken into custody
On Thursday morning, the teen’s body was discovered floating in the vicinity of De Veldt, some 50 miles up the Berbice River.
At the time of the discovery, the face had been mutilated beyond recognition, but identification was determined by the clothes with which the body was clad.
Guyana Times understands that the right hand no flesh, mere bones were seen.
Upon making this gruesome discovery, the teen’s father, Paul Shomia, explained that from all indications, it looked as if his daughter’s head had been set on fire.
“It doesn’t look like fish eat her face; it is too black, and the whole one side hand the flesh gone from it.”
The grieving father said.
He added that the teen’s body was identified by the leggings with which it was clad and by the body structure.
The teenager, according to reports gathered, had left home three months ago to take up work at a bar. The mother of a 2-year-old son had not made contact with her parents since leaving home.
Her mother, Shondell Cobena, noted that her daughter was living with her boyfriend and the suspect in the same house at De Veldt, and as such, she suspected that her daughter was murdered.
The teen’s father is urging the Police to conduct a thorough investigation. “It doesn’t look like she drowned, to me. I think is a murder,” he told this publication.
The teen’s body was taken to the Arokium Funeral Parlour to await a post mortem.
