The partially decomposed body that was discovered on a dam in Vreed-en-Hoop, West Coast Demerara (WCD) earlier this week has been identified as that of a Crane Housing Scheme woman, who had been mentally ill for the past 20 years.
The woman was positively identified on Thursday, as Patricia Amanda Ronald called ‘Patsy’, 49, of Lot 5 Crane Housing Scheme, WCD.
She was identified by her sister Dianna Ronald, who had visited the Vreed-en-Hoop Police Station to make a missing person’s report. Dianna told Stabroek News yesterday that on Thursday morning while she was making the report, she was shown a photograph of a woman by a police officer and later identified the person in the photo as her sister based on the clothing she was wearing. She believes that Patricia was a victim of foul play.
The woman’s partially decomposed body was found around 7.30 am on Tuesday.
Divisional Commander Leslie James had previously related to this newspaper that while the body bore no visible marks of violence, the police were awaiting the results of an autopsy to determine how the woman died. When contacted by this newspaper yesterday, Dianna explained that her sister who resided with her had been a patient at the Georgetown Public Hospital Psychiatric Clinic for the past 20 years.
She said Patricia’s last clinic day was on Wednesday. “Up to last Wednesday [June 7], she went to the hospital and get she tablets and so,” Dianna said. According to Dianna, she last saw her sister alive on Sunday morning. “I see she did leaving home Sunday morning while I did washing, so I ask she where she going and she tell me she going by Tricia, a lady she does clean for in town,” Dianna explained.
“When Sunday night pass and I see she ain’t come, I say she mussy ain’t done she work that is why she ain’t come yet. But when Monday pass I seh something got to be wrong.”
Dianna then decided to contact another sister who resides in Georgetown. She said she asked that sister to call Tricia and enquire about Patricia. “I don’t know Tricia, I does just hear about her through Patsy. Is the other sister know her, so I ask her to call Tricia and find out if Patsy went there or not,” she said. “Is when my sister call then she hear that Tricia ain’t went home on Sunday because she house was under repair but Tricia neighbours tell her that Patsy indeed went there and they tell she Tricia ain’t home and she left.” She said the family is unaware of what transpired after this.
The woman said that while she suspects foul play, she is waiting on the autopsy to determine how Patricia met her demise. “I don’t know, but when I see the picture of she body, like, I don’t know what to say, but something don’t seem right. But we got to wait and see. Although she sickly she know she way to and from home. We can’t even figure how she reach there where they find her,” she explained.
The post-mortem examination is scheduled for Monday.
