Doctor murdered in office

Nov 04, 2021 News

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…police hunting for two men seen entering, leaving office

– assailant escaped with victim’s car, cellphones

Kaieteur News – Police up to late Wednesday night were on the hunt for two men in connection with the murder of a doctor, whose battered remains were found on Tuesday night at his Duke Street, Kingston, Georgetown office.

Dead is Collin Roach aged, 49, of Windsor Estates, East Bank Demerara (EBD). He was found dead by one of his employees around 22:20hrs. Roach was found lying face up in a pool of blood on the floor of the examination area within his office. His face was notably bashed in and there were blood stains on the wall. Detectives who visited the scene had discovered that the man’s cellphones and his white Audi SUV bearing liscence plate PXX 4000 were missing.
The doctor’s two employees have been detained by police. Further, investigations conducted by detectives later revealed that two other men were seen entering and leaving the doctor’s office during the period they believe he was murdered. Police are trying to locate those individuals in order to gather more information that might help them solve the crime.
Roach’s employees who were still in custody up to press time had reportedly told the police that they had last seen him alive around 15:00Hrs. They explained that the doctor would operate a clinic in his office between 07:00 to 15:00Hrs. The employee who found the doctor’s body said he and his colleague had left Roach in his office after ending work that day at 15:00hrs.
The employee further stated that he retired to his living quarters located on the top flat of the building while his colleague went out. The employee claimed that later that evening around 20:00Hrs he had observed a man exiting the building. That individual, he reported, re-entered the clinic some seven minutes later.
Around 22:18hrs, he reported hearing Roach’s SUV driving away from in front of the building. The employee after peeping out noted that it headed in a northerly direction. He further claimed that he noticed the lights in the office were left on and decided to call Roach to inform him about this, but his cellphone rang out.
The man continued that he then decided to notify his colleague who was still out that he will be using their keys to enter the office and turn off the lights at which point he made the gruesome discovery that his boss was murdered. Crime scene experts who arrived later noted that it appeared as if the doctor’s killer had lashed him to the left of his forehead.
Meanwhile, the news of his tragic demise has left his friends, relatives and the medical fraternity of Guyana in a state of shock. The Ministry of Health (MOH) has since stated that it is deeply saddened by the death of Dr. Roach and expressed condolences to his family and friends. The ministry stated, “Guyana has lost one of its young, but experienced doctors. Significantly, our country has lost one of its most experienced Biomedical pathologists.”
MOH noted too that his untimely demise has come at a time when he was in talks with the ministry to begin a new era of transformation for chemical pathology. He is also remembered as being part of the pioneering team that began revolutionizing laboratory science in Guyana. The renowned doctor had led a technical team under MOH to put together the plan for the establishment of the National Public Health Reference Laboratory (NPHRL) during the time that the United States (US) President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) was collaborating with the ministry. Roach was appointed director of NPHRL and later became a consultant to the US Center for Disease Control (CDC).
For his part, Opposition Leader, Joseph Harmon in a statement said it is tragic that Guyana has lost yet another valued member of its society to violent crime. “Dr. Roach’s death represents the latest in a string of deaths that the PPP/C government seems unable to halt. Was it not a few days ago that we mourned Ganesh Persaud, who was fatally stabbed? Was it not a few days ago that we mourned Joshua Denny, who was shot?” Harmon said.
He said citizens are living in fear of motorcycle bandits that roam the city day and night, and the
“Citizens live in fear that confessed murderers will escape from custody, like Kalpildeo Gangadin a few days ago. How long can this go on? Is there no one competent who can take over the Ministry of Home Affairs?
“We reiterate our call for Minister Benn to go. Why? Because it feels like every week we’re mourning. Why? Because we have not seen any improvement. Why? Because Dr. Colin Roach suffered a fate he didn’t deserve, and sadly no one will be surprised if next week we are mourning someone else. This violence must end. Benn must go. We continue to note the escalating crime situation. Regrettably, it has become the new normal under the watch of this installed government,” the Opposition Leader said.
Harmon said there is a direct connection between the deteriorating crime situation in the country and the government’s lack of action, coupled with the “blatant political interference in the affairs of the Guyana Police Force and Police Service Commission.
“Once there is refusal to continue the implementation of the Security Sector Reform Plan, reluctance to ensure there is a professional Guyana Police Force consistent with the provisions of the Constitution, an incompetent Minister of Home Affairs, clear diabolical plans being executed to have total domination and control of the police bureaucracy, there is no chance for there to be a successful crime fighting plan,” he contended.
He said while the government battles for control and domination, Guyanese are left to suffer at the hands of criminals. “Therefore, we are clear: in order to fight the scourge of crime, the people will have to exercise their most powerful weapon available in a democracy to return to the peace and security of 2015-2020,” he posited. The police are currently investigating the murder of Dr. Roach, whose cellphones and car were stolen.

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