The battered, decomposing body of a woman, suspected to be that of a Corentyne housewife, was found in a barrel in a trench at R and S Street, Belvedere Village, Corentyne, sometime yesterday morning.
The body, which bore visible marks of violence, was found around 9 am in a blue plastic barrel, which was partly submerged in the trench. The victim, who was clad in a green and white striped dress, was discovered with a bedsheet wrapped tightly around her neck. Additionally, marks of violence were noticed around the woman’s left eye, stomach, left shoulder, left hand and left leg.
The body is presently at Bailey’s Funeral Parlour awaiting a post-mortem examination.
While the woman is yet to be positively identified, residents said she resided in the same street with her husband, Suraj Veersammy, called ‘Radesh,’ who is now missing.
According to Harrendranauth Yodhan, of Lot 479 Belvedere Village, Corentyne, he first saw the barrel in the trench located opposite his house on Friday morning. However, he did not pay much attention to it until an unbearable stench began to emanate from it. Yodhan then decided to investigate. “Me take a shovel stick and me go out deh and me see one piece of cloth in front the barrel and when me take the stick and raise up the cloth me see one foot outside and me holla and me neighbor run out,” he explained.
According to residents, it is suspected that the barrel was placed in the drain sometime on Thursday evening. However, they did not pay much attention to it since they thought someone had disposed of garbage. “When it start smell we thought somebody throw shrimps or something,” one neighbour noted.
Meanwhile, according to a neighbour, the woman, who seemed to be in her forties, and her husband moved into the village from Fyrish Village, Corentyne, about three months ago.
According to villagers, they were last seen sometime on Wednesday, after which they disappeared without any trace.
Police visited the couple’s house, which is located a short distance away from where the blue barrel was discovered, and noticed that one of the blue barrels from the couple’s yard was missing.
Residents in the area yesterday told Sunday Stabroek that as of Tuesday there were two blue barrels in the couple’s yard.
‘Radesh,’ who was employed at a nearby chicken outlet, was let go from work on Wednesday morning.
Police yesterday said they were searching for the man for questioning while efforts were also being made to identify the woman.
