President Dr Irfaan Ali today visited the families of the three teenagers who were brutally murdered in West Coast Berbice (WCB).
The Head-of-State assured the relatives that no stone will be left unturned to ensure that those responsible for the heinous acts are brought to justice and made to answer for their crimes.
“On behalf of the people of Guyana and my own behalf and that of my family and Government, I want to again express my condolences to you and your family,” President Ali said.
During his visit with each of the families, the President also pledged to work tirelessly to ensure that the resolution of the investigation is given the highest priority.
“I will work day and night to get to the bottom of what happened to those teens,” President Ali vowed.
He also used the opportunity to urge all residents and community members present to work with the members of the Guyana Police Force and the Guyana Defence Force, who are stationed in the communities, to restore peace and stability.
“Safety and security in all of the communities remain a top priority. As you can see, there is more visibility on the ground, more resources on the ground,” the Head of State said.
The President urged the communities to come together and not to allow themselves to be divided. He also asked the residents to cooperate with the Police, who are working to not only conduct their investigations, but to also bring peace to the communities along the WCB corridor. This, he stressed, can be achieved through cooperation and the sharing of critical information, which can assist investigators.
The Head-of-State reiterated that no forms of criminality will be tolerated.
“We cannot tolerate lawlessness and criminality. We have to fix what went wrong and move forward,” President Ali stated.
Meanwhile, the aggrieved relatives all expressed their hope that justice will be served swiftly and that all leads will be pursued. They expressed too, their appreciation for the President’s visit and his commitment to ensuring that all steps are taken towards achieving justice for the boys.
During his visit, President Ali also met with the family of Prittipaul Hargobin from Bath Settlement, who was also killed, to offer his support and condolences.
The badly-mutilated bodies of cousins 16-year-old Isaiah Henry and 19-year-old Joel Henry were on Sunday discovered at a backdam at Cotton Tree, WCB, almost one day after they were reported missing.
Seven persons were initially arrested in connection with their murders however, yesterday, four of the suspects were released on station bail after the 72-hour detention period had expired.
The body of 17-year-old Haresh Singh was found on Wednesday morning in the backdam at Number Three Village, WCB. So far, no one has been arrested for his murder.
All three teens suffered a brutal death. The Henry boys died as a result of haemorrhage and shock; and their spines were severed. Singh died as a result of a brain haemorrhage, blunt trauma to the head, compounded by compression injuries to the neck.
Protests, which quickly turned violent, had erupted in West Berbice over the murders of the Henry boys. However, as of yesterday, the situation was returning to normal.
Several high-level government delegations, led by Prime Minister Mark Phillips, had already visited the families of the murdered young men.
