Crime Chief Seelall Persaud yesterday said that so far police investigations have revealed that 17-year-old Iana Ramsarran died as a result of natural causes and not foul play, as is suspected by her family, which believes that she was killed because she was a witness in a court case.
Persaud told Stabroek News that the January 26, 2012 death of the girl is still being investigated but noted that her death certificate indicated that she died from natural causes.
He explained that because the girl was hospitalised and was being treated by a doctor, a post-mortem examination was not performed. Instead, the doctor wrote up a death certificate as is usual for deaths where the patient was being treated by a physician for an extended period. He said that the police are seeking an audience with the doctor to understand some of the medical terms written on the death certificate.
The teenager’s father, William Ramsarran, on Tuesday had told Stabroek News that he wanted the police to investigate his daughter’s death, since he believed she was killed because she was the main witness in a cattle rustling matter in which three persons were arrested and charged. The incident took place in Moco Moco, Lethem, Region Nine and it involves a businessman in the area.
However, Persaud yesterday said that the cattle rustling case is still ongoing and there were other witnesses in the matter and while she was a witness, she was not the main witness.
He noted that she was living with one of the accused but added that so far there is nothing suspicious about her death.
The teenager’s father had explained that the young girl, the second to last of his children, was at the time of her death living on a ranch in another part of the area with a young man and they only knew something was wrong with her when she was transported to the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) by the man, who later called and informed them she was stricken with malaria. Ramsarran later saw his daughter in the hospital, where she was in an unconscious state. She never regained consciousness. According to him, the doctor said she overdosed on cocaine.
