MYSTERY surrounds the death of 17-year-old Shyon Demi Hendricks, reportedly found hanging from a bedroom rafter at her parents’ home at Bella Dam, Pouderoyen, West Bank Demerara. A family member made the gruesome discovery at around 15:00hrs yesterday. The former student of Malgre Tout Primary School and of Case Comprehensive, both on the West Coast Demerara was the youngest of nine, born to Wilbert Hendricks, also called ‘Bertie’, and Nazeema Ally, deceased. Shyon’s death has come just two months after the passing of an older brother.

Her distraught father, too consumed with grief to speak, remained locked in his bedroom, and so did not address the media. Her siblings, meanwhile, were still badly shaken and in utter shock, even as they valiantly, though futilely. tried to restrain another teenaged brother who had become hysterical.

Nevertheless, an elder sister, Rosanne Ali, who said that Shyon would normally visit her on Saturdays, recalled that the deceased had gone to her home earlier that day, but had spoken very little and had appeared somewhat depressed.  When their eldest sister, called “Mumma”, had asked Shyon what was wrong, the teen merely shrugged her shoulders and left without disclosing whether or not she had had a problem.

The sisters admitted that Shyon was generally a nice person. They recalled times when she had appeared introverted. For this reason, when she reacted in the manner she did yesterday, they did not think anything was amiss, and dismissed her behaviour as the usual teenage mood-swing.

But there was a shock in store for the family later in the day. Rosanna said that shortly before 15:00hrs, her son (Shyon’s nephew) visited the family home in Bella Dam and asked where Shyon was, but no one was immediately able to say, since she had apparently slipped into one of the bedrooms unnoticed and had locked herself inside.

Relatives said that out of curiosity, the nephew, about seven or nine years old, climbed to the top of the wall and peered into the room where Shyon was, only to see her hanging from the roof. Shocked out of his wits, he screamed and sounded an alarm, which immediately brought other family members rushing towards the room.

Her siblings forced their way into the room and could not believe what they were seeing. Rosanna, who broke down in tears and wept bitterly as she recounted the harrowing experience, said that initially upon seeing Shyon hanging, she thought that the girl was making a joke; but she soon realized this was reality, and that her sister was no more.

As word spread in the closely knit community, other relatives and neighbours converged on the home of the deceased, and there was great weeping and wailing. The police were summoned, and commenced their investigations, while undertakers from a nearby funeral parlour came and took Shyon’s body away as relatives wept uncontrollably.

Shyon is survived by her father, Bertie Hendricks, seven siblings and other relatives.
A post-mortem examination is to be conducted early this week.