Family demands justice for gold miner murdered at Puruni landing

Sep 09, 2025 News

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Kaieteur News – The family of 27-year-old Christopher Stephens is crying out for justice and demanding a swift and thorough investigation into his death which occurred on August 18 at Puruni Landing, Region Seven.

Stephens, a gold miner from Tuschen, East Bank Essequibo (EBE), was found dead, lying face down in the river with a chop wound to his forehead. A post-mortem report later confirmed that he died from blunt trauma to the head.

Speaking with Kaieteur News on Monday, Stephens’ sister, Tatiana Blair, and mother, Natasha Blair, expressed frustration and heartbreak over the lack of progress in the investigation. They claim that since the discovery of his body, they have received no updates from the police, and no charges have been laid against the suspects.

“The police didn’t tell me anything positive about this case,” Tatiana said. Her mother added tearfully, “I ain’t feeling good because I’m not getting justice and these boys are free, they get station bail.”

The grieving mother continued, “Right now I can’t even explain how I feel. It makes me feel sick, because up to now, the Guyana Police Force ain’t call us back to tell us what’s really going on with the three men. Every time we call, they just tell us to wait.”

Tatiana said the last update she received was on Monday, when she contacted the police who informed her that the suspects had been regularly reporting to the Bartica Police Station. She was told that the investigation is taking longer than expected because a key eyewitness to the murder cannot read or write.

“Around 12:00 hrs., I got onto them, and they said they have an eyewitness who saw when Christopher was chopped. But they told me the witness can’t read or write…that’s what the police told me,” she said.

Stephens’ mother and sister said he was his family’s breadwinner, and his partner is pregnant. His mother pleaded, “We’re not coping well, all because we’re not getting any justice. I want these boys jailed because we need justice for him. Christopher wasn’t a violent person, and I don’t know why they did that to him. That was his first time going to Puruni Landing and sleeping out, and that’s when he was murdered.”

Tatiana appealing for urgency in the matter: “We just need justice, and we want the police to speed up the case and leave no stone unturned.”

Meanwhile, Regional Commander and Senior Superintendent of Police Dion Moore confirmed that three suspects were arrested, but no charges have yet been filed. A file was sent to the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) for legal advice, though Moore could not say when a decision would be returned. He stated that the three suspects are complying with instructions to report regularly to the Bartica Police Station.

Additional details surrounding the incident were shared by Stephens’s brother, Kevin Blair during a previous interview on August 20. Speaking with Kaieteur News, Kevin said his brother last contacted him during the early hours of Saturday morning. “At 12:59, I woke up because my phone rang. When I checked, it was my brother calling,” he said.

“When I answered, I heard him say, ‘Kevin, somebody want kill me.’ I asked him who, but he didn’t say. He just said somebody wanted to kill him and lashed him off his bike.”

Blair said he urged his brother to return to the campsite immediately, warning him not to stay out late since he was unfamiliar with the area. That was the last conversation they had.

At around 5:00 a.m., Kevin contacted their mother, Natasha, to inform her of what had happened. Both attempted to call Christopher again, but their calls went unanswered.

He then reached out to individuals in the Puruni area to search for his brother, but their efforts came up empty. Later, Blair filed a missing person report with the police. The following day, the family received a photo of a body, but it could not immediately be confirmed. Their worst fears were realized the following day when Tatiana, officially identified the body as his.

Police have since launched an investigation, treating the case as a murder. According to Tatiana, her brother was new to the area and did not have any known disputes with anyone. She explained that he had travelled to Puruni Landing to work in gold mining alongside their mother and brother.

On the day he went missing, Stephens and two employees were returning to their mining camp when he reportedly instructed them to go ahead while he followed behind. The two employees arrived safely, but Christopher never did.

The next day, his body was discovered in the river, and his motorcycle was found parked at Puruni Landing.

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• Christopher Stephens, demands justice, gold miner, murdered, Puruni Landing

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