Two weeks after his disappearance, family members of a missing Mabaruma pensioner are still in the dark about his whereabouts.
Searches by both family members and members of the Joint Services have so far been unable to locate 85-year-old Eustace Marcellino, a father of 12, who is said to have left his home on April 3.
Elaine Domingo, one of Marcellino’s daughters, told Stabroek News that she received a call from her sister, Shaun Marcellino, who informed her that the man had been missing for three days.
She further noted that Shaun, who lives with their father, claimed that on the day their father went missing, he went into the backdam. Domingo added, however, that although her father went into the backdam in times past, he no longer did so since he was “up in age” and preferred to remain at home.
Domingo stated that after her sister told her that their father was missing, she immediately asked if she told the police and Shaun stated yes. She stated, however, that when she called the police from her Georgetown home to find out about her father and the report her sister allegedly made, she was told that a report was never made by Shaun but by their village’s Toshao.
According to Domingo, she became more worried when some of their father’s clothes and netting with blood on them were subsequently found. She claimed, however, that the items were destroyed by a family member before the police arrived.
She stated that the family member also collected her father’s pension on the Monday after he reportedly went missing, while telling the persons that Eustace was ill and could not collect the funds himself.
Meanwhile, Commander of ‘F’ Division Ravindradat Budhram stated that a missing person’s report was filed with the police in the area in relation to Marcellino’s disappearance.
The Commander noted that the police along with the Guyana Defence Force formed a search party to find the man but it yielded no success. Family members and neighbours, he added, were later questioned in relation to the matter.
Commander Budhram added that the search for the pensioner is still ongoing.
