Autopsies will be performed on the bodies of the men recovered after the mishap in the Puruni River on Monday.
The bodies of George Bowman, called ‘George Bush,’ 35, of Lot 535 Section B South, Sophia and Devon ‘Sadam’ Cadogan, 22, of Lot 22 West La Penitence are at Lykens Funeral Parlour, awaiting post-mortem examinations that are to be conducted today.
Stabroek News was initially informed that three bodies were found floating in the Puruni River sometime around 8 am on Wednesday but upon further confirmation this newspaper was told that only two were recovered. It was initially reported that three persons were missing after a boat they were travelling in with others overturned in the Puruni River on Monday.
Based on accounts given to this newspaper, on Sunday last a large group of men from the Puruni, Backdam, in the Mazaruni River ventured out to celebrate Fathers’ Day. As they were returning on Monday morning, sometime around 7 am, their vessel capsized, leaving the three men unaccounted for.
Bowman’s mother, Helena Smith, told Stabroek News that the family suspects foul play in his death. She said “He tongue hanging out and he body nah deh nice at all but we waiting pon the post-mortem results and then we gon tek this up further.”
She added that she was told by investigators that her son was not found with a pair of ‘long boots’ as she was previously told.
According to Cadogan’s mother, Donna Cadogan (Cadogan’s surname was erroneously reported as Chapman in yesterday’s edition), she only learnt that he was missing on Wednesday afternoon. The woman said that her son had been a miner for over a year and his employer was yet to make contact with her to inform her of the incident.
“He wukking with this man over a year now and on to now this man nah tell me nothing and I don’t really know what happen,” she said.
She was called by police investigators and told to go to Lykens Funeral Parlour to identify the body and was later asked to go to Criminal Investigation Department (CID) Headquarters, Eve Leary, where she was required to give a statement.
