The five persons who were arrested in connection with the murder of Qualfon employee Rainella Benfield were on Monday released on station bail.
Crime Chief (ag) Paul Williams yesterday afternoon told reporters that the five individuals were released following the end of two 72-hour detention periods. “Two 72-hours periods were exhausted and they were released on bail yesterday (Monday)” Williams confirmed.
The body of Rainella, a telephone operator of Qualfon’s Goedverwagting call centre and of Lot 99 Canterbury Walk, Beterverwagting (BV), East Coast Demerara was last Monday discovered in a cemetery at Triumph.
At the time, her body was face up between two tombs in the cemetery, which is located on the eastern side of the Beterverwagting Police Station. Her hands were on her stomach and her pants were pulled below her hips. Her face appeared to have been smashed in.
An autopsy revealed that that she died as a result of crushing injuries to her face which were inflicted by a blunt object. The report, also indicated that she was alive when the injuries were inflicted and that she was not raped.
Marks on Benfield’s skin were consistent with sun burns, the autopsy revealed.
When asked about the motive for the crime, Williams said thus far it is suspected that Benfield’s murder was as a result of a serious grievance. “Investigators suspected that it was some act out of something as it relates to some serious grievance”, he said.
However, Benfield’s father Rainella Benfield on Sunday told this newspaper that he is convinced that his daughter was a victim of an armed robbery and was more than likely killed after resisting her attacker/s.
A cell phone belonging to Rainella and between $3000 to $5000 which she had in her possession are missing.
