Parika woman hammered to death, body set alight by mentally-ill carpenter
A woman has been hammered and hacked to death, reportedly by a mentally unstable carpenter, who then set her battered body on fire after committing the heinous act.
Dead is 29-year-old Shannen Obermullah-Mohamed. Her burnt remains were discovered on Tuesday evening in the yard of a house under construction at Parika, East Bank Essequibo (EBE).
Dead: Shannen Obermullah-Mohamed
Police have said they received an anonymous tip about the burnt body at about 22:00h on Tuesday, and upon arrival on scene, they discovered a burnt skull and torso among the debris near the unfinished concrete structure. They also found a sledgehammer and crowbar nearby, leading them to suspect that those were the weapons used to commit the heinous crime.
Several persons in the area were questioned, and a neighbour told Police that, at around 10:00h, she had observed a man known to her as ‘Rodwell’ burning wood and other materials in the yard, but she had paid him no mind.
The suspect allegedly setting the woman’s body on fire
Further investigations revealed that at around 09:00h on Tuesday, Obermullah-Mohamed had visited the location, and had gone down to the back of the yard, where her home is currently being constructed by ‘Rodwell’.
The woman’s burnt remains
During the day, family members had attempted to contact Obermullah-Mohamed, but all calls had gone unanswered, and her whereabouts had been unknown.
However, on Tuesday evening, a family member had decided to venture down to the back of the yard, and that person observed a fire. They also saw ‘Rodwell’ walking away, heading towards the end of the yard, and soon after disappearing in the darkness.
The fire that was set by the construction worker
Family members then used buckets of water from a nearby pipe to extinguish the fire, after which they observed what appeared to be a human skull among the debris. As a result, the Police were summoned.
It was also brought to the attention of the ranks that ‘Rodwell’ is mentally unstable and is known to Shannen’s family. Despite his mental condition, they say, he does quality construction for the family, and his fees are reasonable.
The charred remains of the body were later escorted to Ezekiel Funeral Home. A postmortem examination conducted on the remains on Wednesday has since confirmed that the woman died from blunt trauma to the head, and that she was already dead when her body was set ablaze.
Police are now awaiting DNA testing to confirm her identity. It was reported that the suspect was later arrested, and remains in Police custody assisting with investigations.
