Melisa Soman, whose body was pulled from the Berbice River on Thursday was two months pregnant, her mother and a police source confirmed yesterday.
Police revisited the scene yesterday with the main suspect, her boyfriend, where they obtained a detailed recount of the circumstances which led to the teenaged mother’s death.
Soman, also known as `Lisa’, 17, a mother of a two-year-old, of Number 58 Stanleytown, New Amsterdam, was returning home from the Berbice River around 8. 30 pm on Wednesday last when it was alleged that she may have jumped overboard to escape a beating from her boyfriend.
Police have so far arrested the boyfriend and the boat owner, who is related to the boyfriend, and was reportedly residing with the couple in the Berbice River.
At 6 am yesterday, investigators in Region Six ventured back to the scene with the two men so as to gather precise information as to the circumstances surrounding Soman’s death.
After returning yesterday around 4.45 pm, sources told Stabroek News that it is likely that charges will be filed this week.
Stabroek News was told that the suspect relayed to investigators that he, Soman and his relative were at a birthday party when he noticed Soman dancing with the relative. This led to him using a piece of wood to assault Soman. She then proceeded to the relative’s boat where the main suspect then continued to assault her and the relative.
It is claimed that Soman then jumped overboard to escape the beating and was rescued by the relative after which the boyfriend continued to assault them with the piece of wood causing Soman to fall overboard for a second time. She then disappeared under the water.
Police in a statement had said that the boat owner, 48, who was first held, had claimed that the teenager was returning home from a birthday party in Gaetroy Village, Berbice River, when she jumped overboard.
He had also reportedly said that while they were in his boat Soman told him that she and her boyfriend were having problems after which she plunged overboard. “He alleged that he immediately went to her rescue but was unable to save her”, the police’s statement read.
The police said that on Thursday around 3 pm Soman’s body was seen floating along the side of the river in Gaetroy Village and was retrieved.
The main suspect has also told investigators that Soman was involved in a relationship with the relative in custody. A source said that the relative also confessed to investigators about having a relationship with the teenager.
Soman’s mother, Raquel Soman, yesterday told Stabroek News that she was aware that her daughter was pregnant. According to the woman, her daughter told her when she last spoke with her in April that she had planned to separate from the boyfriend.
Soman’s older sister, Ruth Ann Soman, yesterday said that the suspect had stopped Soman from having any interaction with the father of her child and also other male relatives and friends.
“Since she deh with this boy he ain’t want she talk with she child father. When he got to send money for this child I does got to go and collect it because he don’t want her around the child father…He don’t want she to talk with nobody. He don’t want she to mix with anybody, any man or no girlfriends. Even if she talk with me child father is a problem”, the sister said.
The sister also relayed that Soman was planning to throw a birthday party for her son who will turn three years old in August. “Everybody miss Lisa, she get a son, who gonna take care of him like she?” she questioned.
A post-mortem examination is expected to be done on Soman’s body sometime today.
