The substance found in the vehicle in which the lifeless bodies of Richie Hansraj and Justin Teixeira were discovered was yesterday sent overseas for testing, sources confirmed.
It is unknown in which country the testing will be done and when the results are expected.
A source explained to Stabroek News that testing of samples is out of the realm of the Guyana Police Force (GPF). “We have no control over the duration of tests,” the source said.
The men’s bodies were discovered in Teixeira’s vehicle, PAC 2607, around 00.15h last Saturday in the Marriott Hotel parking lot, Kingston by a hotel staffer. Teixeira was a guest at the hotel.
Investigators found a container with a “whitish, hard” substance, originally believed to be narcotics, in the back seat of the vehicle.
While it was initially suspected that the two men may have overdosed on a drug, an official from the Guyana Forensic Science Laboratory (GFSL) later informed the police that the substance found in the car is suspected to be sodium cyanide, which can be fatal in small doses.
However, the GFSL does not possess the capability to conduct testing to confirm the suspicion.
Autopsies conducted on Monday also failed to establish the case of the death of the men.
As such, stomach contents were removed from both bodies and handed over to police investigators. They will be sent overseas for toxicological testing. It is unclear whether these samples have been sent for testing as yet.
Richie was a local musician/singer of Hague, West Coast Demerara while Teixeira, 34, was a flight attendant and lived in Republic Park, East Bank Demerara.
