An autopsy has found that Malika Hamilton, the 14-year-old whose body was pulled out of the Hope Canal on Tuesday, died as a result of asphyxiation compounded by trauma to the neck and police are treating her death as a murder.
Hamilton’s body was found around 1.30pm on Tuesday, several miles away from the Hope Canal Bridge, by residents of the community who had ventured into the canal to swim. Hamilton, of Lot 11 Two Sisters Village, East Coast Demerara, had left home following an argument over the telephone with her father on Monday and did not return.
‘C’ Division Commander Paul Williams said based on the results of the autopsy, the girl’s death will be treated as a murder. “We are currently working on some information,” Williams added. Up to late yesterday afternoon, no arrests had been made.
Hamilton’s mother, Atisha, said since the discovery of her daughter’s body, she suspected foul play. “My daughter may do me wrong but she didn’t do anyone out there anything to die like this,” she said.
The woman said she is determined for justice to be served and for the perpetrators to face the full consequences of the law. “I ain’t want hear nobody or they family right now, all I want is justice,” she added.
She said based on information she received, Hamilton was last seen in the company of two males. “One of them name ‘Satan.’ He and Malika is not even friends, so I want know how she would end up with he,” she noted.
Since the girl’s death, she added, Satan’s mother visited her home but she refused to have a conversation with her. Atisha explained, “She come to my house and telling me if she had money she would take a lawyer and bring her son and let everything done but I didn’t want hear nothing.”
According to the grieving mother, ‘Satan,’ who resided with his mother, has been on the move in an effort to elude to the police, who are searching for him.
The young woman’s cousin had related to this newspaper that on Monday morning, Malika and her father had a heated argument on the telephone. Afterwards, she said that among other things, Malika proceeded to say to her that she would kill herself.
The cousin had noted that while she was unaware of the subject of the conversation between the teen and her father, Malika did relate to her that “things were getting overbearing.” As a result, she said she tried to comfort her. “I give she meh phone, because I know once she get that she will stay quiet and afterwards she tell meh she going by my sister to plait she hair but never turn up there too,” she had said.
However, as night approached, the cousin said, family members became worried and started to enquire about the teen. A report was made to the police station while several searches did not turn up any traces of the girl.
It was not until Tuesday afternoon that the girl’s relatives had their worst fears confirmed when news came of the discovery of a body in the canal.
