Foreign investigators arrive in Guyana to assist with case

Sep 29, 2020 News

Gruesome murder of Berbice teens…

A team consisting of five investigators from the Regional Security System (RSS) arrived yesterday to assist the Guyana Police Force (GPF) in finding the killers of brutally murdered Berbice teens, Haresh Singh, 17; Joel Henry, 19, and Isaiah Henry, 16.

Murdered: Haresh Singh

Murdered : Joel and Isaiah Henry

Joel and Isaiah’s mutilated bodies were found on September 6, in clumps of bushes near to a coconut estate located at Cotton Tree Backdam, West Coast Berbice, Region Five.
Protests marred by violence had erupted over the news of their gruesome murder and days later Singh’s body was found, lying in a patch of grass and bleeding from the nose at the Number Three Village Backdam. Singh was later pronounced dead at a hospital and was identified as the grandson of one of the suspects, a rice farmer, who was in police custody at the time.
In a press statement issued by GPF’s Public Relations Officer (PRO), Assistant Commissioner, Royston Andries-Junor, it was revealed that the foreign team is here following a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between the Government of Guyana and the Caribbean Community Implementation Agency for Crime and Security (CARICOM IMPACS).
The statement detailed as well that the decision to request help from CARICOM IMPACS was made by his Excellency President Irfaan Ali.
Kaieteur News had reported that the official request was made after a team of 75 ranks, which included members of Major Crimes Investigations Unit (MICU), the Guyana Defence Force (GDF), turned up empty handed following an eight-hour long search for evidence in the Cotton Three backlands.
Police had also arrested five suspects and then released them on station bail after the legal 72 hours for holding them had expired.
A sixth person was subsequently arrested but since then the Force has been silent on the progress of the probe.
Nevertheless, GPF stated in the press release that the Acting Commissioner of Police, Nigel Hoppie, has welcomed the five-member foreign team to Guyana and has promised to make all the necessary resources available to facilitate their work.
The team is led by an Assistant Commissioner of Police and comprises officials from countries within the Regional Investigative Management Systems (RIMS).
Upon their arrival to the Eve Leary Police Headquarters, the foreign investigators met with Crime Chief, Senior Superintendent Wendell Blanhum, and ranks from both the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) and the MCIU.