-no foul play suspected
A Guyanese-born Puerto Rico man who suffered from heart problems was yesterday found dead in his room at the Pegasus Hotel by a maid and while foul play is not suspected the police are awaiting the results of a post- mortem examination.
Dead is Goracknauth Ramdyal, 56, former resident of Paradise and Enmore, on the East Coast of Demerara. The man according to reports has no relatives here but comes occasionally for a holiday.
His childhood friend, Seecharran told the media at the hotel yesterday that earlier this year the man spent 12 days at a city hospital after suffering a heart attack. According to him he was taking medication.
He said that this morning he received a call from the hotel informing him that the man was found on the floor and that he would be taken to the hospital. Seecharran stated that his son was the first to arrive only to find out that the man had died.
The man expressed surprise at Ramdyal’s sudden passing as according to him, he had visited him at his home on Sunday and he said he was well. He told the media that his friend is retired having worked in the army and at a post office in New York and subsequently moved to Puerto Rico where he is residing with his wife Gladys.
Describing the man as a ‘nice person’, Seecharran said that he was born in Paradise but subsequently moved to Enmore before migrating at a very young age.
Meanwhile, the deputy general manager at the Pegasus, Susan Isaacs said that just after 9 am, a maid went to clean the room and discovered him at the side of the bed.
She said that the man arrived at the hotel on October 2 and was scheduled to leave today. She confirmed that on his last stay there he suffered a heart attack.
Government pathologist, Dr. Nehaul Singh arrived at the hotel around 10:40 am and pronounced Ramdyal dead. He subsequently said that it looked like the man died from natural causes.
Crime Chief Seelall Persaud when contacted also stated that no foul play is suspected since there were no marks of violence. He however stressed that they will await a post-mortem examination to determine exactly how he died.
Several police officers including crime scene ranks turned up to conduct investigations. The body was removed just after noon, while the police left with the man’s belongings, which included a suitcase and a bag of shoes.