Scores of past and present students and lecturers of the University of Guyana (UG) took to social media to mourn the death of 2010 UG valedictorian Michael George, who drowned on Sunday at the “Parika Back”.
Dead: Michael George
The incident occurred just two days before George’s 32nd birthday.
George, a father of two, hailed from La Jalousie, West Coast Demerara (WCD).
Reports are that he went to the waterside on Sunday with three of his friends for a pre-birthday hangout. He went into the water, but never resurfaced. George is said to have drowned some time between 16:00h hours and 17:00h.
A family member told Guyana Times that the father of two was at home when his friends came and invited him out. Shortly after, his family received a phone call that he went under water just minutes after he entered the water.
After rushing to the scene, the family found his motionless body, and the Police were immediately summoned.
This publication understands that before George went out with his friends, his brother told him not to go into the water since he did not know how to swim.
According to Police, when they arrived on the scene, the dead man’s friends told them that as soon as he reached the location, he took his clothes off and walked into the water. Shortly after, he disappeared.
His friends said they went in search of him, and found him about 10 minutes later. They told the Police that they tried to perform mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, but he remained motionless.
An inspection was conducted of the man’s body, and no marks of violence were evident. A post-mortem examination done on Wednesday revealed that he died owing to drowning compounded by blunt trauma to the head. A report is currently being prepared to be sent to the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) for advice.
George was the valedictorian of the West Demerara Secondary School 2005 class, and completed a Bachelor’s Degree in Chemistry at UG. He graduated with distinction and earned the President’s Medal.
He also had a PhD in Biochemistry Engineering from the University of Alberta and was working as a lecturer at the Texila American University. He also taught fifth and sixth form classes at the Saraswati Vidya Niketan School.
George was described as “a true genius” who impacted many lives. (G9)
