Police yesterday confirmed that one of the bodies found in the backlands of the Kara Kara Creek in Linden was that of Ministry of Health arson accused, Kurt Thierens called `Glasses’ of Middle Walk, Buxton, East Coast Demerara.
The other body has been identified as that of Adriano Tracey of William Street, Kitty, Georgetown.
Police in a press release said that post-mortem examinations were yesterday performed on the remains by Dr V Brijmohan. The government pathologist, the release said, gave the cause of death of Thierens as gunshot injury and haemorrhage to the brain and that of Tracey as multiple gunshot injuries.
While the police mentioned that a wanted bulletin was issued for Thierens in relation to the arson at the Health Ministry, nothing was said about Tracey.
Stabroek News was unable to contact the man’s relatives.
The positive identifications were made yesterday morning by the men’s mothers. Theirens’ mother was able to identify him by a broken toe he had while for Tracey’s mother, it was his facial features.
The alleged killer, Collin Jones, remains in police custody in Linden and according to sources, has not provided any new information to the police.
Meanwhile, a Linden resident recounted that it took him more than two hours last Thursday to convince police that he had a confrontation with a strange man on his farm.
This newspaper was told that the resident had sent his son last Thursday afternoon to look after cattle and the youth noticed the strange man. The teenager had an exchange with the man during which, he told him that the land belonged to his father and asked him to leave. The man, this newspaper was told, asked the teen if he believed in God before advising him to leave the area if he wanted to remain alive. The teen subsequently ran away and informed his father. Together they returned to the farm and saw the man.
The man calmly walked away without saying a word after the resident instructed him to leave.
The sighting was then reported to the police but it was not until about two to three hours later that the police visited that area. It was during a search of his farm located aback of Amelia’s Ward and the surrounding lands on Thursday night that the police found four men, including the strange man, hiding in a makeshift tent.
Providing the sequence of events leading to the discoveries of the two bodies, police said in a press release on Friday that around 16:00 hrs last Thursday ranks responded to information received that a man was seen in the Amelia’s Ward, Linden area acting suspiciously.
The police on their arrival did not see the man but further information was received which led to the recovery, in a bushy area at Amelia’s Ward, of an AK-47 rifle, seven magazines, 198 rounds 7.62 x 39 ammunition, 2 pairs handcuffs, one camouflage bullet-proof vest, a green long-sleeved overcoat, a green camouflage haversack and a Bible, the release said.
Some other ranks responded to a report that a man was seen walking along the Amelia’s Ward Public Road with what appeared to be a grenade in his hand. When the ranks approached the suspect, he threw the grenade at the police and ran into the nearby bushes while the ranks were taking evasive action. The ranks pursued the suspect during which they came under fire from him and they returned fire but he managed to escape.
The release added that the grenade did not explode and was taken into possession by the police.
The area was then cordoned off and with the assistance of additional ranks from Georgetown the search for the suspect continued.
A breakthrough came around 3 pm on Friday, when police responded to further information that a man clad only in his underwear was seen at Amelia’s Ward. The man was arrested and was found to have what was suspected to be a gunshot wound to his shoulder. He was later identified as Jones.
While in police custody, Jones told the police that he had murdered two men and later led ranks to shallow graves in Kara Kara Creek backlands.
Jones allegedly told the police that he had killed one of the two men several days ago, while he killed the other on October 12.
Police said ranks later found a makeshift camp covered with a tarpaulin in the Kara Kara backlands and two AK-47 Rifles without magazines, a quantity of 7.62 x 39 rounds, a grenade, two bullet-proof vests, and a number of flares were found there.
Two fields with about 1,800 cannabis sativa (marijuana) plants ranging between 2 ft and 6 ft in height were also found and destroyed by the police ranks who also found a 10-ft boat with a 5 HP Yamaha outboard motor engine in a swampy area adjoining the creek.
