Sixth suspect in custody for Henry boys murder

Sep 23, 2020 News

Gruesome murders of Berbice teens…

– rice farmer’s grandson to be laid to rest today

As probe continues into a heinous crime which sparked outrage and protests in Guyana, investigators have revealed that a sixth suspect is now in custody.

Murdered: Isaiah and Joel Henry

He is being questioned for the murders of Joel and Isaiah Henry of Number Three Village, West Coast Demerara (WCD).
Crime Chief, Wendell Blanhum, had confirmed recently that five persons were detained. They would have included suspects from the initial stages of the investigation along with one who was last seen with the boys.
However, last evening, Kaieteur News was told by police sources that those persons have since been released on station bail.
Meanwhile, the rice farmer, who was the first to be arrested in the initial stage of the probe, is preparing to cremate his grandson, Haresh Singh, 17, today.
Singh was killed days after the cousins’ butchered bodies were found dumped in clumps of bushes at Cotton Tree backdam, near to a coconut estate his grandfather owned.

Murdered: Haresh Singh

Media houses reported the young man was found unconscious in the Number Tree Village backdam with multiple chop wounds and other marks of violence. His burnt motorcycle was also found close by.
According to information received by this newspaper, the viewing of Singh’s body is set to begin at 09:00hrs at the Persaud’s Funeral Home, New Amsterdam, Berbice, Region Six.
This will be followed by a service at the family’s home at Number Two Village, scheduled for 12:00hrs. His body will finally be cremated at 15:00hrs.
With regards to the ongoing investigation into the three teens’ murder, Guyana has requested foreign help.
In a statement sent out by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs earlier this week, it was highlighted that Guyana has sent a request to CARICOM IMPACS for investigative services, under the Regional Investigative Management Systems (RIMS), to assist with the probe.
It was further stated that IMPACS will convene a team of investigators under RIMS Barbados, Trinidad and Tobago, the Regional Security System (RSS) and

CARICOM IMPACS.

This move by the Government comes after the Guyana Police Force (GPF) stated that its team of investigators failed to unearth evidence during a recent visit to the crime scene, to aid their investigations.

Singh’s burnt motorcycle

The team had consisted of 75 police ranks, the Major Crimes Unit (MCU), ranks from the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) and pathologist, Dr. Nehaul Singh.
The police force said that the team conducted an eight-hour search in the backdam and had received aerial support from an army helicopter, ut they found nothing. It was also revealed that the motive(s) for the killings is/are yet to be outlined.
Nevertheless, investigators have been able to establish that the Henry teens were killed somewhere else and then dumped at the location where they were found.
DNA samples were also taken from the suspects who have been arrested and sent for a comparative analysis to be conducted against forensic evidence collected from the secondary crime scene.
While investigators were scouring tirelessly in the backlands to find evidence, members of the Ethnic Relations Commission (ERC), on Thursday last, visited to relatives of all three boys.
The visit was made by the ERC’s Chairman Reverend John Oswald Smith, Commissioners and staff who offered words of comfort and said prayers for the boys’ family members.