The badly battered remains of 13-year-old Joshua Chunilall of Letter Kenny, Corentyne who was reported missing on Tuesday was discovered at John’s, Port Mourant around 1:30 pm yesterday and two suspects are in custody.
It appears as though the attackers tortured the boy severely, killed him and then burnt his body which was found among some bushes at the edge of the canal.
Relatives said his eyes were damaged, his ears cut off, the right hand sustained a long slash and there were other marks of violence to the head and feet.
Up to last evening when Stabroek News contacted the family, Chunilall’s mother, Kowsillia called ‘Nalin’ and stepfather, Mark ‘Devan’ Samaroo were still at the police station giving statements.
Mark who plants a farm along the embankment close to the sea defence at John’s, had sent the boy to “watch the farm.” The boy went there around 9 am and was apparently attacked sometime after.
His grandfather, Bhagwan Samaroo known as ‘Brother Ram’ told Stabroek News that Mark, a cane-cutter at the Albion Estate went to the farm at 2 pm after he got home from work.
He did not see the boy anywhere and there were cows in the garden. He called out to him but got no response and decided to search the area.
He then noticed a print from the boy’s boots coming out from the garden and followed it. After that, he went on the main dam and saw a large footprint together with the print from the boots. These led him to a large coconut farm.
He did not have a phone to contact the boy’s mother to say that he was missing so he started to “search until the place get dark and he couldn’t see anymore.”
When he returned home he informed the mother and she became worried.
He then borrowed the neighbour’s phone to call Samaroo, his father, who advised him to make a report at the Whim Police Station.
Samaroo told this newspaper that when Mark got to the station the police arrested him and took him into custody without taking a statement. He was released around midday the following day.
Relatives continued to search until they found the body and informed the police.
Samaroo said that on Monday two young men had approached the boy at the farm and asked him for a cutlass and rope.
Samaroo said he did not know if there was a confrontation with Mark over cows and the men afterwards but they made a report to the police that he [Mark] had beaten them.
He assumed that the police took his son into custody based on the report.
