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Six-year-old boy drowns at Edinburgh, Berbice
(Kaieteur News) – Six-year-old Kayden Busey, of Glasgow Village, East Bank Berbice, died after reportedly drowning during a swimming outing with other children from his community on Sunday afternoon.
Dead: Kayden Busey
The incident occurred at a pond near the popular swimming area known as ‘Sixth Bridge’ along the East Bank Berbice corridor, around 2:00 pm.
The child, a Grade One pupil of All Saints Primary School in New Amsterdam, was reportedly with two of his siblings, aged four and eight, along with two female neighbours, aged 12 and 13. The group was said to have been in the area making TikTok videos before the tragedy unfolded.
The main entrance to ‘Sixth Bridge’ in Edinburgh, East Bank Berbice
His mother, Gaynor Paul, told Kaieteur News that she was at home resting at the time after taking a detoxing agent and was not in her usual state of alertness. The mother of eight, who lives with her three youngest children, said she had earlier sent the siblings to purchase a beverage for a visiting friend.
Paul said she had suspected on previous occasions that the children may have been swimming despite her warnings.
“When I open me eyes, I was in sleep-and-wake. I say, ‘how y’all skin look suh?’ It happen two times they go and swim. When they come back, they bathe quick and come upstairs. You would never know. But I watching them… they still tell me no, they ain’t swim.”
A grieving Gaynor Paul, mother of 6-year-old Kayden Busey
She said the children usually played in shallow water, but on this occasion, a neighbour’s child reportedly suggested they go elsewhere.
Moments later, she received troubling reports from neighbours.
“Me neighbour come and say, ‘Gaynor I hear some child missing…’ That is when I realise them wasn’t in the yard,” she recalled tearfully.
Realising the children were not at home, she rushed to the location by bicycle. Upon arrival, searches were immediately conducted, but there was no sign of the children.
Her eight-year-old son later described what allegedly transpired, saying the group had been playing when the situation turned tragic.
“He say the girls was playing pranks, and by playing pranks, Kayden think them drown so he jump… he say he see he brother hand up and he try reach him but he was drifting,” Paul recounted.
A 16-year-old boy later dived into the pond and retrieved the child’s lifeless body. Kayden was rushed to the New Amsterdam Hospital, where he was pronounced dead on arrival. His body was later taken to Persaud’s Funeral Home in New Amsterdam.
In hindsight, the grieving mother said she regretted taking the detoxing medication that left her unwell and unable to closely supervise her children.
The tragedy has sent shockwaves through the Berbice community. Residents described Paul as a hardworking mother dedicated to her children, while relatives said Kayden was especially affectionate and closely bonded with her.
Paul said she had repeatedly warned her children to stay away from ‘Sixth Bridge’, which she described as a dangerous area known for deep water and previous drowning incidents.
“If you see the place… is a deep, deep place,” she said, still struggling to understand why the children went there.
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