By Michel Outridge

WILLIAM Douglas, called ‘Gary’, left his Lot 10 Section ‘B’ Sophia home for the interior 11 years ago.The day he set out to establish a business on the Guyana-Venezuela border, he left behind his loved ones, including his mother, Waveney Douglas.

The next time she would see him, she told the Guyana Chronicle on Monday, was last Thursday when she was called to identify his remains.

As she explained, she did speak with him by telephone from time to time over the years; the last time he tried calling her was on July 16, 2016, but she’d had a problem with her cell-phone, so the call was disconnected.

The grieving woman said she tried to return the call, but was unsuccessful, and it was the last time she would hear from her loved one.

The woman stated that in her last phone call with her son, he told her he needed a cell phone since he did not have one and had asked her to purchase one for him.

She would like justice for her son, whom she describes as a dedicated individual who worked hard to set up a business. Mrs. Douglas is asking the police to apprehend the perpetrators so she can have closure.

Relatives, including his sister Marilyn ‘Shelly’ Douglas, are clueless as to what may have led to his murder since the police have been mum on the homicide which was not reported.

However, ‘F’ Division Commander Rabindradat Budhram told the Guyana Chronicle on Tuesday that a team of sleuths have been dispatched to the area which is remote from the landing.

He explained that he is awaiting the team’s return since information is very sketchy at this time but he noted that the body bore a stab wound to the neck.

However, this was refuted by relatives who said that the body bore multiple stab wounds and even chop wounds to the face, tongue, neck, face, and back.

They displayed photos of the body before the post-mortem examination was conducted and visible gaping lacerations could be seen.

Waveny Douglas told this newspaper that the police had little to tell her regarding her son’s murder. She learnt of his demise when she received a telephone call from miners in the area after they had discovered the body.

They are of the opinion that he was killed in cold blood by person(s) who waited for him to get home and attacked from the rear, chopping him several times.

His shop was frequented by miners in that area and he also had a speedboat business as well. His mutilated body was transported from Iteringbang, Region 7, by the police and placed at Crematorium Gardens, Le Repentir following an autopsy on July 22, 2016.

The 55-year-old man owned and operated a shop on the Guyana side of the Guyana-Venezuela border and was last seen alive at about 5:00am on July 19, 2016 when he returned to his camp.

Miners from a neighbouring camp reported that they spotted Douglas on the morning of July 19 when he came to his camp to put on his generator and did not see any lights in the place although the generator was running.

They later made a check in the camp, and found the body in a pool of blood. He had been brutally murdered, and his body bore several chop and stab wounds and his tongue was severed. Douglas is to be buried today.