The autopsies performed on the bodies Justin Teixeira and Richie Hansraj are inconclusive and as such, the families were instructed not to cremate their bodies.
The autopsies were performed by government pathologist, Dr Nehaul Singh on Monday at the Memorial Gardens Funeral Home – days after the two men were found dead in a motorcar belonging to Teixeira. The vehicle was parked in the parking lot of the Marriott Hotel at Kingston, where Teixeira was a guest.
In light of the pathologist not being able to pronounce the cause of death of the two men, police have since advised the families not to cremate the bodies in the case they need to exhume them for further investigations in the future.
Samples from their stomachs were taken and are expected to be sent overseas for further testing.
The bodies of Paishnarine Hansraj called “Richie”, a 25-year-old singer/music producer from Hague Backdam, West Coast Demerara, and 34-year-old Justin Teixeira were found in the wee hours of Saturday.
Teixeira had reportedly suffered a seizure moments before midnight and his relatives were alerted.
It was reported that an employee of the Marriott Hotel reported that they received a phone call from Teixeira’s mother at about 23:30h, informing them that Teixeira was having a seizure and asked if someone could check on him.
Another employee was sent to Teixeira’s room on the sixth floor but it was empty. The hotel staff then went to Teixeira’s vehicle – a black Vezel motor car (PAC 2607) – in the parking lot, and the gruesome discovery was made.
Teixeira was reportedly sitting in the driver’s seat, and all the windows of the vehicle were halfway down. The employee said he opened the front passenger door and discovered Hansraj sitting in a crunch-like position.
Both the Police via 911 and an ambulance with an EMT were summoned to the scene, where the two men were pronounced dead by a doctor.
The police said no marks of violence were seen on the exposed parts of the two bodies.
Initially, investigators had suspected a drug overdose after a plastic container with a white hard substance was found in the back seat of the vehicle. However, this has since been ruled out after several narcotics tests were conducted on Saturday.
Officials from the Guyana Forensic Laboratory informed detectives that they suspect the substance to be sodium cyanide – a chemical that is lethal to humans even in a small quantity.
But without local capacity to confirm these suspicions, samples will have to be sent to an overseas laboratory for further testing.
Meanwhile, in a bizarre twist of events, American Airlines spokesperson Laura Masvidal, International Communications confirmed to a section of the media that Teixeira was not, and has never been, an American Airlines employee – contrary to what Teixeira has led some families and friends to believe.
