A Post Mortem Examination [PME] conducted on 20-year-old Annalee Gonsalves yesterday revealed that she died of sepsis from burns about her body.
The mother of two succumbed last Friday at the Georgetown Public Hospital after being hospitalized for third degree burns for almost two months.
It was initially reported that Gonsalves was doused with a hot pot of porridge by her 24-year-old reputed husband, Ajay Persaud, also called ‘Nicholas’ on August 23rd at their Parfait Harmonie home, West Bank Demerara (WBD). However, whilst in hospital, Gonsalves recorded a statement on her mobile phone stating that she was doused with denatured alcohol, commonly called methylated spirits, by her husband who then set her on fire.
Ajay Persaud
Gonsalves’ husband, Persaud, was charged last Thursday with attempted murder and remanded to prison. He is expected to appear in Court again on October 20th. Commander of Regional Division #3, Mahendra Siewnarine, said that due to the woman’s death, the charge may be upgraded to murder. However, when contacted yesterday, Siewnarine said that the file has to be resent to the Director of Public Prosecutions today for advice.
In the recording Gonsalves made, and which Stabroek News had previously reported on, she could be heard saying, “This is Annalee Gonsalves and I giving a statement against my husband, Ajay Persaud, who people does call Nicholas. On the 23rd of August we had a argument concerning a boxers, he did want go on the road and the boxers that he did want, it didn’t dry, it did wet and he start cussing up and throwing down thing in the room… and I had nuff work fuh do… I had to look after meh baby, I had to mek dinner, I had to drop meh netting, so I get angry and I tek the cologne bottle them with the cream and suh and I start throwing them through the window, and in the height ah throwing them through the window I mek he bird cage fall down.”
Gonsalves further stated, “Suh when the bird cage fall down he start cussing up that if me know how much he bird worth, that nothing in the room ain’t worth more than he bird. And he go look fuh he cutlass, but he didn’t find it and then he come back and he open the methylated bottle… I went on the bed with meh one-month baby… she did lay down a lil way part from me and I did sit down… he open the methylated bottle and he start throwing it on me, and when he start throwing it on I start stifling and I turn over, lay down on meh belly and before I coulda turn (and) run back, he spark… I don’t know if is a lighter or match or what but I assume is a lighter and he spark it on me from behind.”
Gonsalves continued, “When he spark the lighter I roll off from the bed, cause meh baby went on the bed and I didn’t want she get burn, and the fire start ketching, and he throw sheet on me, but when he throw the sheet the fire didn’t out and he pull me out but before he pull me out, the top that I had on, it did already burn off and I try pulling off meh pants… while I pulling off the pants he holler fuh Ashley [one of meh sister-in-law…] she run in the room and she scramble the baby and then he guh and he shout fuh he mother from the veranda cause she went at the street head…when she come in now, she carry we at the hospital, and when she carry we at the hospital she tell me that leh a don’t talk the truth that Nicholas burn me, and that I should seh I went boiling porridge and the stove blow up and the porridge burn me.”
The Gonsalves family wants Persaud’s mother and sister to come forward and be truthful with the events that transpired.