The man who was discovered along the Dora trail, Linden/ Soesdyke Highway, was yesterday morning identified as taxi-driver Leyton Garraway and police are now searching for several men who were seen leaving the area shortly before his body was found.
Garraway, 48, of Lot 203 Old Road, Parika, East Bank Essequibo, was last seen alive by his wife, Wornett Garraway, around 6.30am on Tuesday. He was discovered dead by a civilian some distance along the Dora trail on Wednesday afternoon.
In a press release yesterday, police said that they are investigating the circumstances surrounding the death of the taxi-driver. His body, according to police, “bore wounds to the face, neck and hands which were bound together with a belt.” The man, Stabroek News had learnt, was gagged as well.
The body is currently at the Lyken’s Funeral Parlour and a post-mortem examination will be conducted shortly.
A police source has told this newspaper that investigators are working on leads that some of the perpetrators boarded a Route 43 (Georgetown/Linden) minibus shortly before Garraway’s body was discovered. This newspaper further learnt from investigators that Garraway was most likely killed at another location and then dumped at Dora.
When Stabroek News visited the Dora scene on Wednesday evening, police were searching for several persons who were in the area at the time Garraway’s body was found. This newspaper had learnt that the dead man was lying face down in some bushes.
Meanwhile, Wornett told Stabroek News that she believes her husband was hijacked and robbed of his car. Garraway, she said, bought the silver grey car about six weeks ago and usually left their Parika home around 6.30am for the city, where he worked. At the time, she explained, the man was not wearing jewellery nor did he have a large amount of cash or anything very valuable in his possession.
On Tuesday morning, Wornett reported, Garraway left at his usual time for Georgetown. Her husband, she said, usually returned home around 6.30pm or 7pm every day. If he could not come home at this time then Garraway would inform her by telephone.
When the man failed to come home at his usual time, Wornett said, she tried several times to call his cellular phone but kept getting voicemail.
On Wednesday morning, a cousin, who read newspaper reports about a body being found at Dora, informed her about it and suggested that she go to police. Hours before her cousin called, Wornett said, she had made a report to the Parika Police Station that her husband was missing.
The woman said that one of the newspaper reports had a description of the clothes on the dead man and it prompted her to return to police at Parika and tell them that she suspected it was her husband.
Just after noon yesterday, the woman’s worst fears were confirmed when police took her to the Lyken’s Funeral Parlour to see the body.
She was able to identify him partially by his facial features and what he was wearing. “His left side cheek had a deep gaping gash on it,” the woman said.
Garraway, the distressed woman insisted, had no misunderstanding with anyone. Besides a few traffic offences, Wornett told this newspaper, her husband had no other brushes with the law. “It got to be is the car they steal from him because when I spoke with the police they told me that there had been no sign of the car and they were working on some information they had,” Wornett said.
Garraway, according to her, was the main supporter of their family. The woman, who is a teacher, stated that her husband was a hard worker and did his best to see that their family was provided with everything they needed.
Next Tuesday, Wornett lamented, would have been their 19th wedding anniversary. His last rites, the woman said, will most likely be conducted early next week after the arrival of overseas relatives.
Garraway was a father of two boys.
