The partially decomposed body of a mining camp cook was found floating in the Puruni River on Sunday, days after he went missing.
The deceased has been identified as Franklyne Felix Smith, 59, of Mc Doom, East Bank Demerara.
A Guyana Police Force (GPF) statement said Smith went missing between February 10th and February 14th at Rock Creek Backdam, Puruni River.
Police enquiries revealed that Smith was employed with Dennis Henry, a miner, of Dartmouth Village, Essequibo Coast, as a cook.
According to Lyndon Marshall, a 60-year-old miner of Albouystown, he and two other workers left for the work ground, located about three minutes away from the main camp, leaving Smith behind preparing lunch on February 10th.
When they returned to the camp the same afternoon, they did not find Smith.
The following day at about 8 am a search of the area was done but the now deceased man was still not found.
His body was later found on Sunday floating in an upward position in the river.
Meanwhile, the daughter of the deceased, Omadellie Smith-Wilson, told Stabroek News that she last spoke with her father on Wednesday, February 10th, when he called her.
The woman explained that her father had asked that she return a call to him on Friday but she was unable to reach him.
Smith-Wilson stated that she thought nothing of the unanswered calls as her father, who was not so tech-savvy, would often accidentally place his cellular phone on silent mode.
She told herself he would return her missed calls after seeing them.
The woman further shared that Smith originally started working in the mining pit but took the cook’s position after that person left the area.
On Saturday she was informed that Smith had not been seen for four days, which she found alarming, since she had spoken to him on Wednesday afternoon, and he did not relate any information about heading out. In fact, she recalled him saying he was almost done making dinner and was going to relax.
However, on Sunday night she received word that her father had drowned.
Smith-Wilson, who was still shaken by the entire situation, said her father was someone who enjoyed swimming.
That being said, she added that she is aware that “situations can surface, causing things that you are best at to become your weakest point in an instant” and added that since she was not there to say what truly took place, she is leaving it all in the hands of God.
