By LaWanda McAllister
A 22-year-old man of Annandale on the East Coast of Demerara (ECD), who was missing for days, was found dead at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) on Wednesday morning.
Dead is Kellon Crawford, a labourer of Annandale South, ECD. He was last seen alive at home on November 1.
His mother, Chandrawattie Dhanraj, told this publication that her son left home on Sunday at about 10:30h to visit a friend.
She said she was expecting her son to return home during the evening as he had to work the following day.
“… I didn’t find him from then, the rain fall from then (Sunday) and whole day on Monday. Then on Tuesday morning I go and pick up a friend that he does lime with, and I told him that I didn’t see Kellon nowhere since Sunday… so we went to all them friends… I didn’t find him,” the grieving mother related.
She said she then proceeded to the Vigilance Police Station to make a report, but she was sent to the Beterverwagting (BV) Police Station instead. However, upon arrival there she was sent back to Vigilance Police Station. There, she said the police took the report but advised her to search for her son herself.
The woman further related that a friend subsequently told her that there were two accidents on Sunday evening, and she should check the Georgetown Public Hospital.
“When I reach at the hospital (GPHC) the security run through the book and he said there was two accidents at Annandale and one they pronounce dead, and the other one in the ward. So, I went and I had a picture … them boys that does carry them dead, when the boy see the picture he said yes that is the boy and he break up bad,” she explained.
Dhanraj said she then went to identify the body and confirmed that it was indeed her son.
She said after that, her family has not been able to come to grips with the death of the 22-year-old.
According to the tearful mother, since the accident, no police officer has told her how her son died, and who is the suspect. She said when they revisited the scene, it was as if an accident never occurred there. All of the debris was removed from the scene, and there was no mark to indicate where her son was left after the accident.
She said all that was at the scene was a broken fence which the vehicle that hit her son had crashed into. The woman said she was told by residents that they saw her son at the scene of another accident on Sunday night where a 14-year-old boy was struck down on the Annandale Public Road.
However, he was struck down and killed on his way home.
Dhanraj said shortly after finding her son, they went back to the police and relatives were told to go to the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP).
“Why I must go to the DPP, the DPP did not knock down my son and kill him… put your foot in my shoes, your child died…Imagine they get the video and it was only yesterday [Friday] they send it out… they didn’t even say this missing person and they didn’t find his relative. If I didn’t go, I would not have known my son dead,” the grieving mother said.
Dhanraj said the death of her son has shattered her family since he was the main breadwinner for the home. She said she is a widow and is renting a home she will no longer be able to afford, now that her son is dead.
She said she cannot afford to bury her son.
“Yesterday (Friday) they PM (post-mortem examination) him and now I can move him to the parlour…Even to my son phone when I call it is ringing and they said it damage – they don’t want to give me it,” she said.
The family is calling for justice for Crawford.
Meanwhile, when contacted, Regional Commander Khali Pareshram on Saturday confirmed that a suspect was arrested and release on station bail pending investigation.
