The US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is currently providing the Guyana Police Force (GPF) with “technical assistance” in relation to the investigations into the brutal murders of West Coast Berbice (WCB) teenagers Isaiah and Joel Henry as well as Haresh Singh.
This was confirmed by Crime Chief Wendell Blanhum who informed Stabroek News yesterday that as the probes continue, local police have sought the assistance of the FBI to aid in “certain” aspects of the investigations.
While he could not divulge any other details at this point, Blanhum said that the assistance has already begun and does not require the presence of the FBI in Guyana.
“The GPF remains committed to ensure that the perpetrators are brought to justice and the cases are brought to finality,” Blanhum said.
During last month, President Irfaan Ali had told reporters that he is aware that the police have reached out to the FBI in “some” components of the investigations. Ali had described this as a “continued” collaboration.
At the time, Ali was responding to a question asked by the media as to whether the government will be accepting the offer of assistance from the Argentine Team of Forensic Anthropology (EAAF).
He had said that the police will advise him on whether additional help is needed in the investigations. Ali had said that the government has already facilitated a team from the Caribbean Community’s implementation Agency for Crime and Security (CARICOM IMPACS) and the Regional Security System (RSS).
In early October, the GPF, the Guyana Human Rights Association (GHRA) and the law firm Hughes, Fields & Stoby had announced that the EAAF team had offered to aid local authorities with the investigations.
In a joint statement, they 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. Early this month, Director of EAAF Dr. Luis Fondebrider visited Guyana to assess whether the team is capable of supporting local police in the probes. During his five-day visit, Dr. Fondebrider met with the families of the teenagers, visited the crime scene and the Georgetown Public Hospital (GPH) mortuary and met with Minister of Home Affairs Robeson Benn and senior members of the GPF including Blanhum.
In September, representatives of CARICOM IMPACS and the RSS visited to assist local police with the investigations.
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, Ali had also told the media that the RSS team has recommended additional work be done.
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. Their mutilated bodies were found the next day during a search, sparking days of unrest in West Berbice. Days after, another teenager, Singh, was also murdered in what is believed to be a reprisal killing.
The president had previously promised that no stone would be left unturned in finding those responsible for the killing.
Before his departure, Dr. Fondebrider told reporters that he requested a list of 20 documents from the police in order to offer advice on solving the murders.
Late last month, Minister of Home Affairs Benn had announced that the government has indicated its willingness to share the autopsy reports for the teenagers with Dr. Fondebrider.
He had stated that Dr. Fondebrider has an option to either view the autopsies, which were video recorded in the interest of transparency, virtually or face-to-face in the presence of the Government Pathologist. Blanhum yesterday noted that the authorities are still awaiting a response on this from Dr. Fondebrider.
“Our local pathologist has duly advised that he can be provided with the video of the entire post mortem examination and form his own opinion or conclusion,” Blanhum said.
According to Blanhum, this was communicated to Dr. Fondebrider since his visit here and he hasn’t responded as yet.