The 79-year-old Wakenaam, Essequibo Island woman who was found dead in her Sans Souci house on Monday, had complained on several occasions to her caretaker that she had felt a tugging at her underclothes often at night, and even though several reports were made to the police no action was taken, residents claim.
Dhamwantie, known as “Auntie”, lived alone but was being cared for by a woman, who would leave late in the afternoon and return each morning. Her body was recovered by neighbours who noticed her door open and found her lying on her bedroom floor in a pool of blood.
Essequibo police have since confirmed that a 17-year-old Parika youth has been held in connection with the murder but stated that investigations were continuing. The source said the youth had confessed to raping and killing the woman. The woman’s body, the source said, bore marks of violence.
The woman’s death came as a shock to residents who said she stayed mostly indoors and described her as peaceful.
Following the discovery of the body, the teenager, who neighbours said was a drug addict was seen with bloodstains on his clothing.
He was reportedly arrested for breaking and entering and it was during interrogation he reportedly told police that he had raped and killed the woman.
“She did tell the girl that does look at she that sometimes in the night she used to feel somebody pulling at she pampers and the girl did report it to the police but they never investigate anything,” a neighbour told this newspaper yesterday. The woman who said she lived close to “Auntie” did not even realize that anything was wrong until she saw another woman from the area going into the house and when she enquired she was told of the woman’s death.
She said in a matter of ten minutes as word spread about the discovery many persons rushed to the scene. The woman said she also heard some persons saying that the woman’s house had been ransacked and there was blood on her bed and on the floor.A senior police officer on the Essequibo Coast told Stabroek News yesterday that the claims being made by residents about complaints being lodged that the woman was tormented by someone at night, were being investigated. The source said many residents have made the claim.
A post-mortem examination is to be conducted on the woman’s body after which the police may move to charge the teen.
