The mother of the man believed to be responsible for the murder of Maryann Sunita Nauth was yesterday taken into custody even as he continues to evade capture by police.
Relatives of the 49-year-old woman said that police ranks showed up at their Albouystown residence around 09:00hrs yesterday and requested that she accompany them to the police station to give a statement.
Relatives say however, that once the woman arrived that the station and gave her statement, police ranks informed them that they would be detaining her to assist with their investigations.
The police also reportedly searched the premises during their visit.
It is unclear if the content of the woman’s statement was the basis of the arrest, and calls made to the police to clarify this issue were unsuccessful.
Relatives of the man speculated that claims made by Nauth’s relatives may have misled the police into believing that the woman knew more about the murder than she was revealing.
Yesterday, Stabroek News reported that Nadira, Nauth’s sister, received a call from the victim’s ex-husband’s mother, who asked her if she knew where Nauth was, and shared that her son also had not returned home on Saturday evening after leaving to meet Nauth.
Nadira had said that the ex-husband’s mother suggested that she check the hospitals after she said that Nauth had not been seen since Saturday night.
The woman’s relatives said that they are very concerned about her staying in the police “lock-ups” since she is not in good health. They said that the woman has a heart condition.
Meanwhile, Nauth’s alleged killer has successfully eluded capture for a second straight day.
Police have been looking for the man since Nauth’s body was discovered in room 209 of the K&VC Hotel on South Road.
Police had said that the woman had been discovered in the hotel room around 02:15hrs on Sunday with multiple knife wounds to her hands, abdomen and breasts. A knife, believed to be the murder weapon, and a photograph of Nauth and a male were also found at the scene of the crime.
Hotel staff had been tightlipped when Stabroek News visited the establishment on Sunday and several staff denied having any knowledge of the stabbing.
Nadira had said that she last saw and heard from her sister around 17:00hrs on Saturday. Nauth reportedly told her sister that she was going to meet her ex-husband to collect money. Nadira said that when her sister failed to return home that night she became worried and went in search of the woman around 13:00hrs on Sunday. The woman said that she and two other relatives were prompted to go in search of Nauth after her ex-husband’s mother asked her if she knew where Nauth was and suggested a check of the hospitals.
Nadira said that while en route to the hospital the taxi driver, who is a friend of the family, received a call from someone who told him that a woman by the name of “Maryann” had been found dead at the K&VC Hotel. As such the group changed directions and headed to the hotel.
Nadira said that when she and other relatives turned up at K&VC and inquired if her sister had indeed been murdered she was turned away by the receptionist who told her that she was unaware of any such occurrence at the hotel.
She said that the relationship between the estranged couple had always been rocky, and shared that he had even attacked Nauth with an icepick and a hammer on one occasion.
She explained that Nauth and her alleged attacker had been married for 13 years before they divorced last December, and had even continued to see each other after the split. She said that Nauth however called it quits on the arrangement last December after she was attacked.
The man’s relatives however said that Nauth and her ex-husband continued to meet every Friday or Saturday and would go out drinking and partying.
“Whenever he get money he would call she for money for the children and the two of them would go out partying and sporting on Friday night or Saturday night.”
The man’s family said that he was somewhat unstable and had even attempted to take his life on several occasions.
