Five persons were in police custody yesterday in con-nection with the gruesome murders of Isaiah and Joel Henry of Number Three Village, West Coast Ber-bice and protests over the killings continued in Regions Five and Six and saw the police firing off pellets and tear gas at Hopetown to clear the road.
Crime Chief Wendell Blanhum last evening confirmed with Stabroek News that five persons were in custody assisting with the investigation. Autopsies on the victims have been scheduled for tomorrow.
Initially police in the region had placed a farmer, who owns rice land and a coconut estate, into police custody. Later, his son and a handyman were arrested.
According to a police source on the ground, ranks from the Major Crimes Unit after arriving in the region placed two labourers who work with the farmer in police custody yesterday.
Up to press time, protest actions were still ongoing in Number 4 and Number 5 Villages, Number 28 Village and Hopetown, West Coast Berbice. In Region Six residents took to the streets in Union, Corentyne and Number 1 Village, Corentyne.
At Number 28, protesters placed several pieces of old machinery, trees and wood across the road in an effort to stop the flow of traffic, while at Hopetown protesters placed a small wooden building in the middle of the road along with old machinery parts and later started a fire.
Traffic for most of yes-terday was at a complete standstill in Region Five as there were blockages between Number 4 and Number 5 Village, at Number 28 Village and at Hopetown, West Coast Berbice.
The majority of road users had to turn around, while others got out of the vehicles and walked past the blockage and then boarded another vehicle.
One person told Stabroek News that they had to exit vehicles several times since they needed to get to the Fort Wellington Hospital to visit a patient.
Last evening, pellets were fired off at Hopetown, injuring APNU+AFC official Carol Joseph.
Meanwhile, over in Region Six, at Number 1 Village, residents came out several times throughout the day but left after police arrived and then returned. At Union Village, Coren-tyne, residents protested on both sides of the road throughout the afternoon and into the evening over the killings.
During a press con-ference yesterday morning in Georgetown, acting Police Commissioner Nigel Hoppie said that in addition to the owner of the coconut estate, a handyman and the owner’s son had also been arrested.
When questioned about what led to the arrest of the first three persons, Hoppie only noted that the coconut estate belonging to one of the persons in custody was located in close proximity to where the bodies were discovered.
Police in a statement on Sunday had said, “the bodies of Isaiah Henry and Joel Henry were found about 600 feet from each other in clumps of bushes near to a coconut farm”.
The police’s statement also noted, “Further examination of a nearby coconut farm owned by the suspect now in custody showed what appeared to be blood stains on the ground. Also, a coconut peeler and some peeled coconuts were seen at the said location”.
Meanwhile, the acting commissioner also noted yesterday that the Criminal Investigation Department had deployed six ranks from the Major Crimes Unit and was preparing to send additional ranks to aid in the investigations.
Yesterday, when the members of the Major Crimes Unit arrived in Region Five, they were blocked from entering at Number 5 Village, West Coast Berbice.
The ranks then exited their vehicle and began pleading with protesters to allow them through while explaining that they were there to offer their assistance.
Although the protesters were not too pleased to allow them through, the ranks while talking walked around the blockage on the road, while their vehicles were left on the opposite side.
Hoppie also stated yesterday that the ranks were processing the crime scene and will be using every available technology in the force to crack the case.
Minister of Home Affairs, Robeson Benn, during the joint press conference with Hoppie said that there should be no excuse for the attack on the cousins and labelled the attack as “vicious.” He reassured Guyanese that no stone will be left unturned during the course of the investigation.
Benn appealed to the protesting residents of the neighbouring communities to act in the interest of law and order. “We have to bring things back to a more peaceful situation and to allow the opportunity for the police force as a whole to access areas to do their investigations,” the Home Affairs Minister stressed.
It was stated that the force will be mobilizing additional resources to remove debris left behind by protestors and work to clear the thoroughfare. “I want to continue to appeal to the residents in the communities out there, those upstanding and reasonable persons in the communities to bring their influence and appeal to bring calm to this situation… Police have brought assets into the area to try to open up the roads again,” Benn underscored.
At Hopetown, when police attempted to remove the blockages with a machine the persons gathered formed a human barricade which cause the work to come to an abrupt halt.
The protest action over the killings began on Sunday evening.
Isaiah, 16, a student at the Woodley Park Secondary School, and Joel, 18, attached to the Blairmont Estate, went missing on Saturday after they left home to head to the backlands to pick coconuts.
On Friday evening, Isaiah had informed his father that he would be heading into the backlands on Saturday morning to pick coconuts from their farm.
Stabroek News was told that Isaiah left home just around 5.30 am Saturday and on his way he met his cousin.
It is suspected that after Joel informed Isaiah that he was not working on Saturday, Isaiah asked his cousin to accompany him on the trip and after informing Joel’s relative the duo went about their journey.
After the teenagers failed to return on Saturday afternoon, a massive search was launched.
Isaiah’s father had said they searched the backlands on Saturday afternoon into the evening and early Sunday morning but it was only on Sunday afternoon that the bodies were discovered.
Police in a statement had said, that “Isaiah Henry’s body was seen lying on his back with his head pointing in an eastern direction and feet pointing west.
The body was clad in grey short pants, a light green long-sleeved jersey and was barefooted. A wound was seen on his throat, two to (the left side of his head), one on his forehead and one to the left side (of his) chin”.
According to a source, who was on the scene, and from video footage seen by this newspaper, Isaiah’s body also bore an ‘X’ on the right side of his head.
The police said, “Joel Henry’s body was found with the upper half in a hole. The body was clad in black long pants, a green long-sleeved jersey with white fine stripes and barefooted. The body bore a mark around his throat and bruises on the fingers of his right hand”.
The police had also stated, “Further examination of a nearby coconut farm owned by the suspect now in custody showed what appeared to be blood stains on the ground. Also, a coconut peeler and some peeled coconuts were seen at the said location”.
Meanwhile, in connection with the murder possibly being committed at another location, Hoppie said investigators were still on the ground working.
Hoppie also noted that the bodies were found 600 feet apart.
He continued, “Even though they were 600 feet apart the first one closer to the establishment was somewhere around 600 feet out”.
Questioned about impressions in the grass from the rice field to the coconut estate, Hoppie said that the ranks were still combing the area in search of any possible useful evidence.
Stabroek News confirmed that ranks from the Major Crimes Unit visited the location yesterday.
