-suspect under guard after drinking poison
By David Papannah
Two Miss Phoebe, Port Mourant women were chopped to death sometime on Saturday and a man who had accompanied them to the backlands is under police guard after drinking poison.
The murder of Flory Papayya, 33 years, and Jennifer Pooran, 19 years, has sent shockwaves through the Corentyne Coast.
The bodies were discovered yesterday around 0730 hrs in the Adventure, Corentyne backlands by police officers and family members.
According to family members, they began to search for the women on Saturday afternoon after the two did not return from their journey to Adventure.
Their bodies were found at different sections of the coconut estate covered with coconut branches. When Stabroek News arrived at the scene police detectives were carrying out investigations.
This newspaper spoke to Radica Persaud, 49, a sister-in-law of Papayya. She said Pooran and Papayya along with Deodat Persaud, 21, called Simon left their home on Saturday morning to go to Adventure to harvest branches to make brooms. The brooms are their source of income, a relative noted. However, Simon returned home sometime around 11 am and was questioned by Papayya’s daughter on the whereabouts of her mother. He told her that Flory and Jennifer had gone to sell brooms, the daughter told Stabroek News. She added that after the conversation, he went out and returned about twenty minutes after. When he returned he started to vomit. “He start vomit something green, green”, she said. He was rushed to the hospital where he was questioned by the nurses as to why he had ingested the poisonous substance. She said he told the nurses “… some man deh in the jungle (coconut estate), put gun pon he head and give him the poison to drink and carry away the two ladies”. Simon told the same thing to Papayya’s sister and daughter who later questioned him at the hospital.
Persaud went on to say that the family, not believing what they were told, launched a search after contacting police officers. “Dem come [during the day Saturday] fah search, dem na find them, dem search back last night dem na find them. This morning dem come back and find dem”, she said.
Pooran was found with three wounds to her neck while Papayya was found with deep chops on her hand, across her breast and her face.
It was understood from family members that Papayya and Pooran would normally visit the area in order to gather branches to make the brooms.
Pooran resided with Papayya for over three years.
Papayya leaves to mourn her two daughters Anita, 12, and Shivanie, 15, and other family members while Pooran leaves to mourn her two-year-old son and other family members.
The prime suspect in the gruesome murders is currently under police watch at the New Amsterdam Public Hospital receiving treatment.
Police investigations are continuing.
