The family of a missing 48-year-old porter, Imlach Josiah Sears, who is suspected to have fallen off a vessel while sleeping, is seeking answers from the police regarding his disappearance on May 10.
The incident is said to have occurred in the vicinity of Leguan in the Essequibo River.
According to the Commander of Regional of Division #3, Senior Super-intendent Mahendra Siwnarine, it was reported that the porter went to the upper deck of the boat to rest and while he was resting, it is alleged that he fell off the boat. The commander stated that the matter is under investigation and so far, statements have been taken from the boat captain and the crew. He added that multiple searches were carried out by the police in the area for Sears but up to now there has been no trace of him. Siwnarine confirmed that the boat which is currently docked at the Banks Thirst Park wharf in Georgetown is going to be inspected tomorrow.
Sears’ sister, Auset Gaia, of Meadow Brook, Georgetown, told Stabroek News yesterday that she was made aware of the incident when her mother received a call on May 11 at 3:35 pm from an unknown person, who was inquiring from her mother if she had heard anything from her son or if she had seen him. Her mother replied in the negative and the person said okay. However, things got interesting when the same person kept calling her mother to see if her brother was home. She added that that was when she decided to call the man back to inquire about her brother.
Gaia disclosed that the man then identified himself as the boat captain and told her that her brother was last seen on Friday, May 10th when he left the Banks Wharf located at Thirst Park where the boat docked.
She added that on May 12, she contacted the boat captain again to inquire if he had found her brother, to which he replied in the negative. The boat captain informed her that he was beginning to get worried, as her brother never did such a thing before. He then informed her that he would be making a report at the Leonora and Parika Police station. Gaia in turn told him that she would make a report in Georgetown also.
The sister was eventually informed that a report was made at the Leonora Police station three days after her brother went missing, and that the boat captain reported that “my brother went upstairs to sleep in the boat and fell off of the boat.” She said she was confused as to why the boat captain would want to make a report at Leonora police station when he had told her that her brother had departed from the Banks Thirst Park area on Sunday. Further, her other brother checked the Lusignan Police station as the boat captain had informed him that he made a report there also. That day she was told that the family could come down to the station to give statements, which they did.
When the family arrived at the station, she was told that the matter is under investigation by the police and that as of Wednesday, the boat was docked at the Banks wharf.
She added that what was very concerning is that the captain had given her family the impression that the boat left Thirst Park, and further, at no time did he mention that her brother had fallen off the boat while sleeping.
The woman said that she later learnt that the boat captain last saw her brother in the Bonasika/Leguan area and when the boat docked at Leguan, he sent his son to get her brother from the sleeping quarters and that’s when they noticed he was missing.
Gaia iterated that she has not heard anything concerning the whereabouts of her brother and the family needs some kind of closure.
“As of now, nothing is happening, and we need answers as to what is happening to our brother. We also need closure because I believe someone on that boat knows what happened.”
