Edith Reuben, the Yarrowkabra housewife whose body was found hanging from a mango tree in her yard last week, was hanged and the police have since arrested two suspects, including her husband, who they say have confessed to the crime.
Deputy Director of the Guyana Police Force’s Corporate Communications Unit, Stan Gouveia yesterday said that investigators were able to rule out suicide after an autopsy showed that Reuben died as a result of asphyxiation due to hanging compounded by blunt trauma to the head.
Reuben’s common-law husband and one of his friends were arrested by the police.
Gouveia said during questioning the men confessed to hitting Reuben to her head after they found her in a compromising position with another man.
The also reportedly admitted to hanging Reuben from the mango tree after she became unconscious so as to make her death appear as a suicide.
Police have secured an order from the High Court to further detain the men as the investigation continues, Gouveia said.
The body of Reuben, 48 of Lot 1286 Yarrowkabra, Soesdyke-Linden High-way, was discovered hanging from a mango tree at the back of her yard by her husband on Tuesday morning.
The police had in initially stated that they suspected Reuben was murdered sometime between 00:30 and 6:00 hrs on Tuesday. She, her husband and several neighbours had been drinking on Monday into the next day.
The police had said everyone eventually left for their respective residences except one man.
According to the police, reports revealed that Reuben was last seen on the veranda alive at 00:30 hrs on Tuesday when her husband and the other man decided to retire to bed.
At 04:00 hrs, the husband claimed the male guest woke the husband up and indicated to him that he was leaving. Two hours later, he claimed that he woke and made the gruesome discovery of his reputed wife’s motionless body hanging from the mango tree in the yard.
