By Cathy Richards
The day before the burial of Cheryl Allsopp, who died of a heart attack suspected to have been induced by news that her niece was brutally murdered, relatives received a call from the ‘slain’ woman, who is in fact alive and well.
Allsopp, 56, plunged into mourning at the news that her niece, Mia Stewart, had been murdered and buried at an interior location. Juliana Stewart, Allsopp’s granddaughter, called her grandmother to inquire from her if she had any related information. “By the time I could tell she what I heard granny start hollering and she hung up the phone and so I called her back and she was still hollering and crying.” Juliana recounted.
Allsopp subsequently began to inquire about the validity of the information and a check at the Bartica Police station revealed that there was a chopping incident at an interior location. The name of the victim was given as Roxanne James, a close friend of Mia’s. As the days went by, the relatives of Mia kept receiving information indicating that she was indeed dead. Two men who frequent the interior allegedly told relatives that they had found the mangled body of a woman along a trail and they were quite sure that it was Mia. They said that they buried the body because of its condition. It was following this report that Allsopp succumbed. Relatives said that the woman was overly stressed about the incident and was losing sleep and not eating as usual.
Late last week relatives was informed by an employee of the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission that he had seen Mia and that she was alive and well. They said that the man had promised to inform her of the rumour upon his return to the area. Much to the surprise of relatives, on Sunday, while the wake was in progress for Allsopp, family members received a call from Mia confirming that she was alive and well. “She called home and was talking to my brother shortie, then I tek deh phone from he and start talking to her and all I hear is she screaming non stop and the radio phone cut off. Since then we ain‘t here back from her,” said her sister Skita Stewart. Relatives were not sure of the direct whereabouts of Mia, claiming that they heard that she was at Tamakey, Mousy Island and Siparuni.
Meanwhile, relatives described the events as very painful. “Granny died and she body spoil in da Wismar mortuary and nobody giving any proper explanation, now we ain’t know what state Mia in right now cause she deh so far, its all crazy, I just don’t know what to say about all of this,” said a relative.
Relatives are seeking an explanation from the administration of the Upper Demerara Hospital about the state of the corpse of Allsopp. They said that they were left in a state of shock when they turned up to dress the body in preparation for burial. They said that the body was in an extremely bad state to the extent that maggots were crawling out of several parts of the body and it was extensively swollen and smelled really bad. A family member revealed that the relatives were forced to bury the body without properly dressing it or allowing viewing. This, she said, was the state of another body that was in the morgue at the time.
Contacted yesterday Chief Executive Officer of the Linden Hospital Complex Gordon Gumbs said that he was aware of the complaints but advised that the Administrator of the Hospital Trevor Vangendren be contacted for comments on the matter. Vangendren could not be contacted. Gumbs said that Vangendren has direct responsibility for the mortuary and should be made to face the fire. “It is time Gumbs stop getting all the blaze. Managers who have responsibility for various divisions should start facing to these things,” he said.
Stabroek News understands from sources close to the hospital’s administration that an investigation into the reports has been launched.