A cannabis leaf tattoo and the name ‘Shevon’ inked on his forearm, yesterday led to the positive identification of Devon Simpson, whose decomposing body with a suspected bullet wound to the back of the head was found in a South Sophia trench on Tuesday morning.
Simpson called ‘Buja’, a 34-year-old resident of Lot 40 Kara Kara, Linden and father of two had been missing for a few days and repeated calls to his cellular phone had gone unanswered.
Meanwhile, the police last night said that they are following leads that the killing of Simpson may be linked to the murder of Linden Mc Pherson who was found dead on the Ituni Trail on October 4 with a single gunshot wound. The police said it is suspected that McPherson was involved in the planting of ganja.
Simpson’s brother, Doreon and sister, Michelle confirmed their worst fears when they viewed the remains at the Lyken’s Funeral Parlour yesterday morning. His face was so badly damaged he was unrecognizable. However, Doreon recognized his brother’s tattoos.
Both of the man’s siblings were baffled as to what the Lindener was doing in the South Sophia area and are anxiously awaiting today’s post-mortem examination (PME) to ascertain how he died.
Doreon told Stabroek News minutes after viewing the body that Simpson, who was a porter had left home on Sunday to off-load wood in the city.
He later said he did not know if his brother knew anyone in the area where he was found or where he might have been on the days he was missing.
The man said he was too distraught to speak with the press.
Meanwhile, Michelle said that she had not seen Simpson for some time. She
added that they are awaiting the PME to confirm if he was indeed shot in the head. She, too, could not say if her brother knew anyone in the area where his body was found.
Michelle recalled that on Wednesday night, a stranger asked her if she knew that her brother was dead. The woman said she subsequently got a newspaper from a neighbour and saw an article and read the same details that the person told her.
She said she didn’t see a picture of the person but decided to visit the funeral parlour the following morning.
According to Michelle, she didn’t have a number for Doreon. At the funeral parlour she learnt that Doreon had called the night before inquiring about the body. Doreon, who travelled from Linden, went to the funeral parlour with a policewoman and that was how the identification was made.
Another relative from Linden related that she last saw Simpson two Mondays ago when he left for Georgetown. On Tuesday, she related, a worried Doreon informed her that his brother was missing. The following night he contacted her again telling her about the body that had been found and saying that he knew it was Simpson, based on the description of the cannabis tattoo.
She subsequently learnt that he was last seen on Sunday.
Simpson also leaves to mourn his parents, Cyril Yangapattie and Leila Simpson along with two daughters, ages one and seven.
Around 6 am, a passerby spotted the body which was face down, stuck between bushes in the trench located behind Meadow Brook Gardens.
Police were immediately informed and on arrival, observed what looked like a gunshot wound to the back of the head. A gold chain and a cellular phone were among the items found in the man’s pockets.
A police official had said it was clear that the man was not a victim of robbery adding that residents had reported hearing gunshots early Saturday morning.
Police, in seeking help from the public to identify the man, had revealed that there was a tattoo on the upper left forearm in the form of a cannabis leaf with the writing ‘Jah Bless’. This newspaper later learnt that a name was also inked into the man’s skin.
Investigations into the man’s death are continuing.
