Police said yesterday that a post-mortem examination conducted on 9-year-old Sade Stoby, who was found in a clump of bushes early Sunday morning, revealed that she died from asphyxiation due to submersion, compounded by blunt trauma to head.
And yesterday afternoon a third man who was reportedly last seen with the child on Friday afternoon was handed over to the police at the Providence Police Station.
Stoby left the Mocha Primary School where she was a Grade Four student for home but never arrived. Several frantic searches for her were conducted along the route between her school and home but she was not found.
However it all came to a shocking end when her battered, bruised and lifeless body was discovered in a clump of bushes not far from her home.
The child’s body was discovered by her father, Eric Stoby and brother, Karlon Stoby, who were searching for her.
According to her brother her face was swollen with marks of violence and her neck, which was also swollen, appeared to have been broken. The child was found lying on her side in a small pool of water and her uniform was bunched up around her waist exposing the lower part of her body.
Her private parts were exposed and her underwear was nearby. According to the brother evidence of sexual molestation was evident to the naked eye.
Stabroek News was not able to ascertain yesterday if this was revealed during the post-mortem examination. He said her socks were also found in the water while her shoes were a short distance away from her body on the ground. Her school bag was still around her shoulders. A pair of adult-sized green slippers was also found in the vicinity of the child’s body along with a child’s orange top.
Soon after the gruesome discovery a 16-year-old boy and a 23-year-old man – who according to reports is presently before the courts on charges of molesting two children, a boy and girl – were arrested.
Yesterday afternoon Stoby’s mother Sharon Berry told this newspaper that her husband came face to face with the third suspect and he was questioned and later handed over to the police at the Providence Police Station.
According to the grieving woman, this man is considered the `prime suspect’ and was the last to be seen with the child on Friday afternoon.
“This suspect said that he saw her on Friday afternoon and she asked him to pull a piece of cane for her”, she said.
When Stoby was last seen alive she was alone and sucking a piece of sugar cane.
At the general assembly held yesterday at the Mocha Primary School a minute of silence was observed for the child and the students were later given tips on going home after school.
