Director of the Argentine Team of Forensic Anthropology (EAAF) Dr Luis Fondebrider arrived here yesterday to do an assessment that will determine how the team can possibly assist the police with the probe of the murders of West Coast Berbice (WCB) cousins Isaiah and Joel Henry as well as Haresh Singh.
The announcement was made yesterday by the Guyana Human Rights Association (GHRA), which says it is facilitating the visit in keeping with the wishes of the families of the teenagers.
In a press statement yesterday, GHRA said that during the visit, Dr Fondebrider will meet with the families, visit the crime scene, interact with officials of the GPF, including local investigators, and brief the appropriate government and diplomatic representatives.
Upon the conclusion of his visit, a determination will be made as to whether the EAAF team is capable of providing any support to the Guyana Police Force (GPF) in the investigations.
“As a result of the visit, the EAAF will determine whether and to what degree they may be able to support the Guyana Police Force in its investigations. If that conclusion is positive the modalities of how it may be implemented will be addressed,” the statement said.
Additionally, Dr. Fondebrider is scheduled to conduct a public presentation on the work of the EAAF.
The presentation will be held at the Catholic Cathedral located on the corner of Brickdam and Camp Street on Tuesday, December 15th from 5.30 pm to 7 p.m.
In early October, the GPF, the GHRA and the law firm Hughes, Fields & Stoby, which is representing, pro bono, the interests of the victims’ families had announced that the EAAF team had offered to aid local authorities with the investigations.
The agencies, in a joint statement, had said that the team which has worked on high profile cases in many parts of the world, offered to send a team to Guyana, including a forensic pathologist, a forensic anthropologist, a forensic radiologist and a criminalist.
Parts of pledge
Unsure, if the government would be willing to contribute towards funding the EAAF team’s visit here, the GHRA in early November had launched a fund-raising drive to cover the cost.
The total cost was estimated to be $7 million and GHRA was hoping to secure $4 million, with the remainder being provided by the government.
GHRA was not accepting cash from donors but was just asking them to pledge the sums they wished to donate so that if or when a decision is taken to have the team here, the funds will be ready.
Co-Chair of GHRA Mike McCormack yesterday told the Sunday Stabroek that Dr Fondebrider’s visit was sponsored by parts of the pledges which were made during the fund-raising.
“…We approached one or two people who… made pledges and asked them would they mind if parts of what they pledged was used to cover this visit. So people all said it’s fine, so we used parts of it,” he explained.
According to McCormack, Dr Fondebrider’s visit costs approximately US$3,000 which is equivalent to over $600,000. This covers airfare, the costs of visa and medical tests and accommodation for the period that he will be here.
McCormack explained that further decisions will be made on the way forward based on the outcome of the assessment.
Once the team can contribute to aiding in the investigations, McCormack said the GHRA is hoping to have them here early in the New Year.
“…The next stage then would be we need to negotiate with the government or talk to the government about the overall cost, whether they are willing to put anything into it. We are asking them to cover a percentage but we have to work all that out formally,” McCormack explained.
Isaiah, 16, a student at the Woodley Park Secondary School, and Joel, 18, who worked at the Blairmont Estate, went missing on Saturday, September 5, after they left home for the Cotton Tree backlands to pick coconuts.
After they did not return home, relatives lodged a missing-persons report with the police and subsequently launched a search. It was while searching that the bodies of the teens were discovered. The discovery of the bodies sparked days of unrest in West Berbice.
Autopsies performed on the bodies of the teenagers showed that they both died from haemorrhage and shock due to multiple wounds.
Days after this, another teenager, Singh, was also murdered in what is believed to be a reprisal killing.
The GPF later announced a $3M reward for information leading to the arrest and prosecution of the person/s responsible for the murders.
Since the offer was made, a number of persons were detained for questioning and subsequently released.
In September, the Caribbean Community’s Implementation Agency for Crime and Security (CARICOM IMPACS) and the Regional Security System (RSS) visited to assist local police with the investigations.
President Irfaan Ali had taken a decision to have the team here after dozens of ranks combed the backlands of No. 2 and No. 3 villages, WCB and found nothing of “evidential” value for the investigation into the murders.
Following their departure, a report was prepared.
While the findings were not made public, sources had told this newspaper that the team found that the GPF is “well poised and competent” to complete the investigations.
Ali had also told the media that the RSS team has recommended additional work be done.
Subsequently, Minister of Home Affairs Robeson Benn had practically ruled out having the forensic team here – even though the GPF was prepared to receive it – as he said the government does not intend to go beyond its “normal lines” of engagement in trying to solve the murders.
Benn had told reporters that in cases of this nature, it’s a norm for authorities to engage overseas agencies from United States, the United Kingdom and Canada.
As such, he said this will be maintained. “The normal recourse and reliable recourses we have, the normal overseas agencies we deal with in respect of further and replicate forensic analyses are in the United States, the FBI (Federal Bureau of Investigation) and the DEA (Drug Enforcement Administration). Also, the UK policing authorities and the Canadian,” Benn had said.
