The bodies of the four men who were flung overboard on Tuesday evening after a ganja-carrying boat collided with theirs in the Upper Berbice River were recovered yesterday.
The bodies of Romario Denhart, 24, a certified surveyor, of Stanleytown Village, New Amsterdam; Julian Mc Kenzie, 50, a farmer of Sandhill Village, Berbice River; Denhart’s father, Freeman Denhart, 55, and Kidman Lindie, 40, both farmers of Sandhill Village, Berbice River, were discovered some fifty-five miles up the Berbice River between Katabali and Friendship by police during two searches.
The bodies, which were found a short distance away from the area where the boats collided, were positively identified by relatives, yesterday afternoon at the New Amsterdam Public Hospital, after which they were transported to Bailey’s Funeral Parlour, West Coast Berbice, where they are awaiting post-mortem examinations.
Police first found the bodies of Romario and McKenzie and it was after they offloaded them at the New Amsterdam Stelling at just around 2 pm and returned to search that they found the senior Denhart and Lindie.
According to information gathered, the men were heading further up the Berbice River around minutes to 8 pm on Tuesday when an incoming boat called `Guidance’ which was transporting a quantity of marijuana and moving at a fast rate, hit their boat.
Stabroek News was told that the five men on `Guidance’ subsequently sped off without rendering any assistance.
Police in a statement yesterday said, that Marvin Kissoon, 39, a fisherman of Sheet Anchor Village, East Canje Berbice, captain of `Guidance’, was proceeding north while the four victims were proceeding south.
Kissoon told investigators that he saw Freeman’s boat approaching and to avoid a collision he pulled east but the other captain also pulled east, causing the boats to collide and capsize.
The police in their statement said Kissoon and his fellow occupants re-entered their boat and escaped after they realised that the occupants of the other boat had not surfaced. The dead men’s wooden boat was completely destroyed as a result of the collision.
After news broke that there was a collision in the river, residents rushed to the area with a boat where they saw slippers and other belongings of the missing men floating.
Acting on information received, police arrested three of the four occupants of Kissoon’s boat on Tuesday evening. The three men are said to be from Maria Henrietta Village, Berbice River; Adelphi Village, East Canje Berbice and Number Two Village, East Canje Berbice.
They were also found in possession of thirty-two taped parcels suspected to be cannabis, which were later weighed and amounted to 36. 97 kilogrammes.
The fifth suspect, who is from Palmyra Village, Corentyne, turned himself into police yesterday morning.
Romario’s mother, Paula Soloman, yesterday related, that on Tuesday evening she received a call that her son and his father had been involved in a boat collision.
According to the woman, Romario and his older brother were spending some time with their father up the Berbice River since Romario was on leave due to the COVID-19 situation. Her sons were expected to return home in about one week, the woman said. “He (Freeman) wanted to show them his work and they went up,” she said.
She described her son as being a kind and caring person who supported her tremendously. Soloman yesterday fainted repeatedly at the New Amsterdam Stelling as she awaited the arrival of the first two bodies.
Relatives of the four men after receiving news that the first two bodies were being offloaded at the stelling rushed to catch a glimpse, as at that time they were unsure of the identity of the bodies.
McKenzie’s sister, Simone De Cunha, explained that she last saw her brother, a father of one, sometime last year. “He don’t really come out but he is always there for us,” she said.
The woman cried uncontrollably at the stelling yesterday afternoon.
Lindie’s sister, Valarie Lindie said that she too was informed that “Them boys did going up the river and a boat did coming down and it smash into them and them ain’t know if them dead.”
She could not recall when last she saw her brother, a father of two, as she noted that he would not often venture out from the Berbice River since he had built his life there.
According to relatives, the four men who lost their lives are all related to each other.
