The nude, dead body of a 20-year-old cane juice vendor was yesterday morning discovered at around 10 am at her home in North Sophia, with her alleged murderer lying in an unconscious state nearby.
Dead is Madhuri ‘Sharda’ Padumdeo of Lot 8, North Sophia. The father of her two-year-old child, Michael ‘Mikey’ Persaud, 21, was arrested by police at the scene.
The gruesome discovery was made by the woman’s mother, Golin Padumdeo, and her employer.
According to Golin Padumdeo, who also lives at North Sophia, her daughter’s boss telephoned her yesterday morning, indicating that Sharda had not shown up for work.
The woman explained to this newspaper that Sharda had opted to spend a few days at her house after the constant fighting with her spouse became overbearing.
“Me tell him [Sharda’s boss] she only been ah spend couple days with me but she gone back by Mikey and she gon come to wuk from there,” Golin stated.
About an hour later, the man, who operates a mobile cane juice outlet that is mostly stationed on the embankment road close to the University of Guyana, called Golin a second time. This time, he informed her that the young couple had an argument and blood was visible in the yard where they lived.
“He went by de house deh and he seh this aunty [the landlord] tell he that this morning dem been fighting and he tell me come over suh I come and when we go in, we see she dead,” the woman recalled.
“Ow! Dem [the landlord] see me daughter come out and hollering fuh help, instead of them getting people right here to come help she, them hussle fuh call de police. Police don’t come on crime scenes just suh,” Golin said mournfully.
The grieving woman said that Persaud had constantly argued with her daughter about her job as he preferred her to stay at home. “Is see he must be see she getting ready to go to work and start a fight,” she surmised.
When Stabroek News arrived on the scene at around 12:30 hrs, police officers were conducting investigations and ordered persons not to enter the yard.
A baffled-looking Persaud was escorted out of the house by police officers approximately one hour after. The slender man did not answer any of the many questions he was bombarded with; but stared about blankly.
“Mikey, how you gon do this? How you gon kill Sharda?” the man’s aunt, Gaitree Mahadeo, screamed, running towards him as he was being led to the police vehicle.
Meanwhile, neighbours and relatives waited for some time to catch a glimpse of Sharda’s covered body as it was being carried to the hearse. Loud wails echoed over the small dam.
The door of the small apartment was secured by police and everyone was instructed to leave.
The dead woman’s mother told Stabroek News that her daughter had been living with the man for about three months though they were not legally married.
She further stated that the two had been dating since high school and would constantly fight. “Since dem a court dem ah got dem ups and downs,” she said.
The woman added that she will now have to care for the couple’s 2-year-old son, Taijram Persaud.
