The family of the Rose Hall woman and her son who were chopped to death last week are calling on the police to do their work after three `suspects’ were released and a fourth person said he had never been in custody as had been stated by the law enforcers.
Meanwhile, new information has revealed that Melissa Arokium’s gold earrings, two hand bands and one chain are missing. Her relatives said that she never took them off. The 30-year-old woman and her eight-year-old son, Anthony were chopped to death sometime on Wednes-day.
Melissa Arokium, also known as Lisa, who operated a shop at her residence at Lot 189 Mangrove Street, Reef, Rose Hall, Corentyne, and her son, a pupil at the Port Mourant Primary School were found dead just between 1 pm – 2 pm on Wednesday by a relative.
Based on photographs that were circulated online of the scene, Melissa was found face down in a pool of blood in her living room with major injuries to her neck, while her son was found on his bed with major injuries to his head and neck along with cuts on his face.
Post-mortem examinations which were carried out on Thursday last revealed that Melissa died due to shock and haemorrhage and incised wounds to the neck, while her son died due to shock and haemorrhage and multiple incised wounds.
On Thursday, the police stated that four persons including Melissa’s two brothers were in custody for questioning. The persons they said were: the brother who resided with the victims – Serrano Arokium called ‘Foody’, a 33-year-old cane harvester; the brother who discovered the body of the victims — Nicholas Arokium, called ‘Nico’, a 26-year-old vendor; the boyfriend of the victim, Shailendra Umrao, a 37-year-old of Belvedere, Corentyne and the neighbour of the victims, Deo Naris, a 38-year-old ‘DJ’ of Mangrove Street, Rose Hall Town, Corentyne, Berbice.
As of yesterday, Melissa’s older brother, Serrano Arokium was out on $200,000 bail, while Umrao and Naris were released on $50,000 bail each.
However, relatives yesterday told Stabroek News, that they believe that the police are not handling the matter properly as they pointed out that at no point was Nicholas Arokium arrested contrary to what the police statement had said.
Embarrassing
Nicholas’s wife, Rosie, a market vendor, when contacted said that it was embarrassing to hear that her husband who discovered the bodies of his dead sister and nephew was in custody when that was far from the truth.
The woman pointed out that on Thursday her husband witnessed the post-mortem examinations of both deceased so it is unclear how he was listed as one of the persons in custody on Thursday afternoon in an official statement from the Guyana Police Force.
Serrano Arokium yesterday told Stabroek News that he would speak at a later date noting that he was dealing with the situation at hand currently. He said that he remains baffled as to why he was held in custody and then released on $200,000 bail. He e said that some of the questions asked of him by investigators were concerning.
He then pleaded with the authorities to apprehend the person responsible for the deaths of Melissa and Anthony.
Naris, another person who was held, said that he previously resided next to Melissa with his wife. However, he and his wife separated last December.
Stabroek News learnt that Naris was arrested for threatening his now ex-wife some time ago and breaching a restraining order which was in place. However, after he was released from prison some months ago he moved out from the location next to Melissa and was residing with a relative in Albion. Yesterday he told Stabroek News, “Me don’t deh at that place, Melissa does watch over the place for me… Them police say me is the neighbour and that’s why them hold me.”
Partner
Melissa’s partner, Shilendra Umrao, said that he, too, was concerned as to why he was held in custody as he told investigators exactly what he knew from the start.
Umrao said that he and Melissa had been together for the last three months. According to him the last time he saw her was on Tuesday afternoon when he visited her home, and he last spoke with her via the phone through text on Wednesday morning, hours prior to the killings.
“She messaged me Wednesday morning 4.53 and said ‘good morning baba’ and like 10 after 5. I message she ‘good morning sweety’ and I ask what she doing and she said she doing work and I ask how she doing and she said good and after that me na get no response… Me call she before me come a work and so and me na get through”, he said.
Umrao, who works at the Albion Estate, said that he attempted to call Melissa around 7 a.m. on Wednesday but there was no response which was unlike her. After leaving work early that day to visit an insurance outlet in Rose Hall Town he decided to drive into the street to check on Melissa as she had not responded.
“When me going in I see she (younger) brother and two police and he tell me Melissa get chop up and we go”, he said.
Elaborating on the last time he saw her which was Tuesday around 6 pm, Umrao said, “I go by her and she was crying and I put my arms around her and hug her and I keep asking she why she crying and she didn’t say but then she tell me she and she (big) brother get lil argue and me ask wah kind argument them get, me ask am about four or five times and she na tell me.”
Umrao said that when he visited on Tuesday there was also a cousin at Melissa’s residence who suffered from a mental illness. Melissa’s older brother also confirmed this noting that the cousin would often be at the location. Relatives told Stabroek News that the cousin, who has a relative connected to the Guyana Police Force in Georgetown, was held by police and reportedly placed at the National Psychiatric Hospital.
According to Umrao, he would often visit Melissa but this was the first time that she had told him about any issue with her brother. “This a first time me go there and see like them get lil argument, me never see them get problem”, he said.
Meanwhile, Melissa’s family as of yesterday was still coming to terms with the death of the woman and her son. As of yesterday afternoon, the house where the two were murdered had not yet been handed back to the relatives. As such they are unable to keep a wake and unsure where the funeral would be held.
While Melissa’s mother was unable to speak with the media, her 72-year-old grandmother, Ruth Hintzen of Lot 5 Portuguese Quarter, Port Mourant, called on the police to stop targeting her grandsons and apprehend the perpetrator(s) so as to provide the family with justice.
She recalled the day that she received news that her granddaughter and great-grandson were found murdered. “Nicholas call and say Melissa get murder and deh on the ground lie down… And we ask where the lil bai deh and same time them say Nicholas call the police, police coming and then she (the daughter) say mommy hear Anthony deh pon the bed chop up too.”
The woman lashed out at the police for images that were circulating
online of the bodies of both Melissa and Anthony. She pointed out that the police were the first ones to arrive at the location and closed off the crime scene thus barring anyone from entering.
Breaking into tears, the grandmother said, “How the police can make those pictures get out… Nobody else na went in to take pictures and that picture deh all over… That’s the first thing that get me crazy when I see my granddaughter on the ground and she chop up and all thing and then they show Bodo (Anthony) on the bed, I feel it and I say if the police na giving nobody chance to go in the house who can take out the picture and send it and if the police na mek nobody go in the house then how the pictures come out, you na see is them police and we vex about it.”
The grandmother who is familiar with the layout of the house suspects that the perpetrator might have been in the house before Melissa returned from the market.
Melissa resided with her son, while her older brother lived in the same lot at the back. The brother had said that he left home around 4 am to head to the estate to work and returned and showered and left again.
It was only after Melissa’s younger brother visited the location to use her washroom that he made the discovery. The younger brother who sells at the Rose Hall Market would often visit Melissa to use her washroom and eat whatever she cooked, relatives said yesterday.
According to information gathered yesterday, relatives said that Anthony would often sleep in late as since it was the holiday he would use his tablet (electronic device) late in the evening as such it is suspected that Melissa left him home and went out to the market.
Hintzen yesterday said based on the images of the body it seemed, “like when she close the door maybe the person been behind the wall where she can’t see them because that’s a wall and the passage is a room and a television up there and all over block off. That’s the only place the person can hide behind… We see the (electric) bike with the bag and key on it like come she come deh.”
The grandmother yesterday stressed that Nicholas was never detained and questioned why police would release his name. “Nicholas went to the station with them but he wasn’t in custody…”
When contacted yesterday for an update on the matter as to whether anyone was in custody at that stage, Mark Ramotar head of the force’s communication arm, said, “Awaiting an update from Crime Chief regarding the ongoing Major Crimes–led investigation.”
The relatives are expected to hold a candlelight vigil tomorrow evening in the street to call for justice for Melissa and Anthony.
