An on-site post-mortem examination was performed yesterday on the decomposed body of a woman, which was found on a desolate road in Turkeyen, East Coast Demerara on Thursday.
The find has sparked speculation that it could be the remains of the St Stanislaus College teacher who disappeared three weeks ago.
On Thursday evening around 6 pm, a civilian who was relieving himself near a clump of bushes on the Turkeyen Road made the horrific discovery. Overgrown weeds had almost obscured the skeletal remains from sight.
When police turned up and residents gathered at the scene on Thursday night they discovered the dismembered body and a pair of underwear in the bushes. According to one resident, the hair on the head of the corpse had been removed and it appeared to have been doused with some chemical. A belt was tied around the right hand of the body while the left was missing.
One resident said he was returning home, when he saw a team of police and some men standing at the head of the street, leading off the deserted road. He said the undertakers were sent away by police who guarded the crime scene overnight.
Government Pathologist Dr Nehaul Singh was forced to perform the PME on site because of the state of decomposition of the body. He is yet to release a report.
Police Crime Chief Leslie James said yesterday that there was no indication that it was the body of the missing teacher. He said they have to review information submitted before making any pronouncement. But he added that if DNA or dental testing needed to be carried out it, police would do so in cooperation with the Brazilian authorities.
A construction worker, working on a house along the desolate road, said every day for the past two weeks he would be hit by a foul smell at the corner of the street where the body was discovered in a clump of bushes.
“We never use to think anything because we know people would dump dead dogs. So for the past couple days we would run past the area down this street,” he said, adding that the old road, which has no lights, used to be a place where bodies would be found in the past.
He said he believed the body may have been doused with kerosene to prevent it from smelling.
Another construction worker said that two days before the body was found he had stopped in front of the clump of bushes to relieve himself. He said he did not see any sign of a body. “I stopped right in front there and I didn’t see anything or even smell anything and I pass here every day. I find it strange,” he said. However, he did state that sometime last week he had smelt something putrid but dismissed it as a dead animal.
High school teacher Nyozi Goodman has been missing since July 6. She had been to a basketball game with some of her students, but afterwards told them to leave because someone was picking her up.
Her brother Nestor Thompson said one of his brothers was present yesterday when the autopsy was performed. Thompson said the police told them that they could not say anything because of the state of the decay of the body.
Thompson stated that Goodman, 34, left her residence early on July 6 to attend the event but no one was aware of what she was wearing and whether or not someone was with her.
The police are still investigating the matter but they are yet to establish a reason for her disappearance or discover who would have picked her up.
When questioned about if Goodman’s disappearance could be linked to that of Lance Corporal Patriena Nicholson who was last seen mid last year, the Crime Chief said police had received no information that the two women might have dated the same man. However, he said they were willing to investigate it.
Nicholson, 38, of 44 Austin Street, Campbellville was last seen at the Republic Bank ATM at the Kitty GuyOil Gas Station. Her boyfriend, who was apprehended after she went missing, was later released.
Goodman is dark brown in complexion and approximately 5 feet, 4 inches in height. Persons who may be aware of her whereabouts are asked to contact Thompson on 692-4526.
