The battered body of a 68-year-old security guard was found in Le Repentir Cemetery early yesterday morning and the police have since arrested a taxi driver who they believe is the prime suspect in the crime.
The dead woman has been identified as Margaret Dawson, of Lot 158 Curtis Street, Albouystown, Georgetown, who worked for Professional Guard Services (PGS).
Dawson, who guards a private residence in Lamaha Gardens, is believed to have been attacked and killed while she was on her way to work. It is suspected that she was also raped.
The woman, who worked a 7pm to 7am shift, was last seen alive by relatives on Sunday.
The attack occurred sometime between 6pm Sunday and 7am yesterday.
This newspaper was told that Dawson lived with one of her daughters in Timehri, East Bank Demerara. However, she recently moved to another daughter’s place in Albouystown so that she could afford to hire a taxi to take her to and from work rather than minibuses in an effort to protect herself from contracting the new coronavirus disease (COVID-19).
Stabroek News understands that on Sunday night, Dawson took a taxi to work but never reported for duty.
A passerby spotted the woman’s partially nude body next to a tomb in the cemetery yesterday morning. Some of her belongings were scattered, while others were missing. The police were summoned and an investigation was immediately launched.
Investigators, acting on information received, later arrested a suspect. CCTV footage that was retrieved showed his car was in the cemetery. He reportedly told the police that he was stranded there after his wheel got stuck. The suspect, who is known to Dawson, was also found with three of her rings in his possession.
Commander of Region 4(A) Phillip Azore confirmed that the suspect was arrested for questioning shortly after the woman’s body was found.
‘A terrible state’
Dawson’s death has left her family devastated.
Amanda Thomas, the dead woman’s granddaughter and who also lived with her, told Stabroek News that she last saw her on Sunday morning, when she returned from work.
Thomas noted that she spent all day Sunday in Buxton and when she returned in the evening, Dawson was not at home. She assumed her grandmother had already left for work.
Yesterday morning, Thomas heard her neighbours saying, ‘Oh God they just rape and kill a lady through the ground. They just rape and kill she bai’.
She then noticed persons rushing to the scene, so she also went. “Well, from a distance, I spot my grandmother wig. Then I spot her bowl. Then I spot her bottle. So it take me like couple seconds to identify the body but when I watch I saw it was my grandmother… I saw it was her body. She was lying in a terrible state,” Thomas related.
Meanwhile, Dawson’s eldest child, Christine Dawson, said that she learnt of her mother’s death from Thomas, who told her “Granny dead in the burial ground”.
“When I go on the scene, it wasn’t a nice sight: She plate out she mouth. She glasses off. No clothes! They just put the watch pun she. They buss up she face, all kinda thing they do she,” Christine said.
Christine said she last saw her mother about a week ago when she visited her sister’s house in Albouystown.
Thomas’ mother works at a city hotel and was in quarantine for 14 days. Following the news of her mother’s death yesterday, she was sent home.
Christine told Stabroek News that she has no idea as to why someone might have wanted to end her mother’s life and in such a manner. “…I didn’t expect this this morning because I never know this would have been handed out for my mother because my mother don’t do nobody nothing. She does pass, tell everybody hi and she would gaff. She is very friendly. Me mother don’t do nobody nothing. Number one when she reach home in the day, she don’t have time to talk because she does sleep whole day ’til she ready to go out to work,” Christine explained.
She believes that her mother killer/s knew her. “Is somebody know her because my mother fight she way through….they left me mother skin up….they do everything. Throw away she clothes, me mother face buss up,” Christine lamented.
The family is calling for the perpetrator/s to be charged soon and to face the full consequences for the crime.
PGS, in a statement issued on its Facebook page yesterday morning, extended sympathy to the family of Dawson.
The company commended the police for their “prompt” investigation and the apprehension of her alleged murderer. “We look forward to the swift and heavy exercise of the courts to see they receive the full punishment for this heinous crime,” PGS said.
Dawson joined PGS in June 2012. The company described her as a pleasant and respectful individual, who was dedicated to her work and family
“Dawson showed diligence, professionalism and an unwavering commitment to her team,” PGS noted.
