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Police detain wife in death of Santa Cruz man
Drowning on New Year’s Day…
…brother-in-law questioned
Kaieteur News – As police continue their investigations into the death of Owen Smith Jr, the 25-year-old miner who was suspected to have drowned on New Year’s Day in the Waini River at Santa Cruz in Region One, the man’s wife has been detained after marks of violence was seen on the victim’s body following a post-mortem examination.
Dead, Owen Smith Jr.
Reports are that the man’s brother-in-law was also questioned by investigators over the weekend. According to reports, the autopsy indicated that there were finger marks on Smith’s neck while bones on his face bore several fractures.
In addition, no water was not found in his lungs which would have been consistent with a drowning.
Investigators believe the victim may have been in a fight and later thrown overboard.
Police stated in a release following the man’s death that he lived with his reputed wife, a 24-year-old housewife, at their home in Santa Cruz.
She told investigators that at about 08:00hrs on January 1st, 2024, he left home for an unknown location and returned at around 15:55hrs that day, under the influence of alcohol.
According to his reputed wife, he told her that he was going to take a bath in the nearby Waini River. At the time, he was clad in a short yellow pants.
She related that he waded into the river and went under the water twice. “The woman said she told her husband to get out of the river as the water level was high. She said he looked at her, smiled, and went under the water for a third time, but never resurfaced,” police noted.
The woman immediately raised an alarm and persons within the area responded where they combed the river but did not locate him.
On January 2, 2024, whilst combing the river, Smith’s body was found motionless by residents. His body was retrieved and transported to the nearby village of Kwebanna by a police rank and thence to Moruca District Hospital where he was seen and examined by a doctor on duty who pronounced him dead on arrival.
Investigations into the matter are ongoing.
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