Pandemonium broke out in Linden, Region 10 (Upper Demerara- Berbice) shortly before 09:00h on Tuesday,
The Mackenzie-Wismar Bridge from which the woman leaped
as a young woman ended her life by jumping off the Mackenzie-Wismar Bridge.
According to reports, the woman identified as 24-year-old Tabhita Small of South Amelia’s Ward, Mackenzie, was earlier seen at the Linden Hospital Complex (LHC).
A Police source in Linden confirmed that the woman was diagnosed with tuberculosis approximately two years ago and was admitted to the LHC around 15:10h on Monday after experiencing a series of fainting spells.
This newspaper understands that she was discharged from the Hospital at approximately 08:30h on Tuesday and went straight to the Bridge.
An employee attached to the Bridge told this newspaper that she saw the young woman approaching the western end of the Bridge several times, as she paced back and forth from the eastern to the western end. Upon approaching the western end of the bridge, for the final time, before she made the fatal jump, she was reportedly engaged in an altercation with another young woman whom she reportedly unexpectedly walked up to and began hitting. According to an eyewitness, Small approached a shop located a few yards away from the Bridge and was chased away by the occupants. The woman who operates the shop told this newspaper that Small walked up to her daughter who was preparing to leave the shop for work at the time and landed a “cuff” to her face, to which she retaliated by hitting her. According to the woman, the suicide victim appeared troubled.
“She (my daughter) bend to pick up her bag to go to work and she just give she one cuff. She never see the girl, we don’t know the girl, but when I was sitting at the hospital shed, I see this girl pass…She was barefoot and she hair was untidy…When you looked at the girl’s face, she pretty young; I average she to be 20 or lil’ bit over 20. But I never see this girl before…she walked, she go through the train line then she turned back, then she go over the bridge and when she meet in the middle she jump overboard,” the shop owner stated.
Following that incident, an eyewitness disclosed that the woman made a failed attempt to jump overboard when the bridge’s barrier was removed, before finally venturing further to the middle where she made the fatal plunge. The eyewitness stated that after the woman went overboard, several persons rushed to the scene in their speedboats; however, they were unsuccessful in rescuing her or retrieving the body.
“When I look down, I see she hand go up two times. When I reach down (further down the bridge) the body had already gone down…Everybody saying they never see she,” the eyewitness stated.
Up to press time, efforts to retrieve the body proved futile. Police in Linden confirmed that statements were taken from several witnesses and a diving party was dispatched to the location on Tuesday morning and was expected to continue the search for the body on Tuesday afternoon or this morning. Investigations are ongoing.
