No suspect held as yet
The bloated and decomposing body of an Atlantic Gardens, East Coast Demerara (ECD) woman was on Tuesday discovered lying on the floor of her two-storey home. A piece of rope that was tied to a clothes horse was around her neck and there was a small amount of blood on a nearby bed sheet.
Dead is Camilla Chan of 72 Atlantic Gardens who was found around 5 pm by relatives who went to check on her. A post-mortem examination conducted on the remains at the Georgetown Hospital mortuary yesterday revealed that she was strangled to death. She also sustained a blow to the head.
According to reports reaching this newspaper, no one has reported hearing anything suspicious in the days leading up to the gruesome discovery but from all appearances, Chan was the victim of a robbery that went wrong. Her gold jewellery was missing and her purse was tumbled. The clothes horse to which a piece of rope was tied was lying on floor and the woman’s clothing was strewn nearby, suggesting that there was a struggle before she died. Her relatives however believe that there is more to her death.
Up to press time last night no one had been held.
When Stabroek News visited the home yesterday morning police were conducting their investigations and several relatives were crying while others bore mournful expressions on their faces. The police later left with a black plastic bag containing several articles taken from the home. Finger printing was also done.
Relatives last heard from the woman last Thursday but following the discovery, a man who works at a bond next door to Chan’s home told them that he saw her on Sunday around 2 pm.
Due to the state of decomposition of the body, relatives say it is hard to believe that she was killed on Sunday or Monday.
Relatives told this newspaper that on Monday and then again on Tuesday she failed to turn up at her workplace in Kitty and as such they became worried since she would call whenever she wasn’t going into work.
A cousin living nearby whom she would usually visit had not seen Chan. He and one of the woman’s sisters decided to check at her home and made the shocking discovered.
The woman’s cousin who did not want his name published said that when they arrived, the gate and the door were unlocked. He said that the woman’s sister first entered the house and he saw when she ran away and sat on a nearby staircase.
When he looked inside he saw a bloated body and flies.
“It was a gruesome sight. There were flies and her skin was black. I couldn’t even recognize her because her skin had started to burst… Her head was so swollen that you couldn’t even see the eyes or the rope that was around her neck”, he added. He said that he could have only identified her by the jewellery and a skirt she was wearing
.
The man said that Chan was a woman that minded her own business and would just go to work at the supermarket. Other than that he said she was home.
He said that all her gold jewellery was missing and at the time of discovery she was wearing artificial jewellery.
Threatened to kill
Relatives told this newspaper that Chan had told them that a resident had threatened to kill her on several occasions because she would quarrel whenever his fowl would mess up her yard. She never reported the matter to the police.
They said that the woman was afraid to stay in the home alone because of the threats and was making plans to build her own home. She had been residing at her present address for the past six years. The property belongs to her sister and after she migrated, Chan was asked to take care of the building. During the day, she would stay downstairs and at nightfall, move to the upper flat.
Relatives said that they have been unable to gather much information because not many of the houses nearby are occupied.
The woman will be buried today.