Part of DNA test results received
DEPUTY Commissioner of Police (Law Enforcement), Mr. Seelall Persaud said that they are in receipt of part of the results with respect to the DNA testing for the eight miners who were murdered at Lindo Creek on June 21, 2008. He added that samples were sent to Jamaica in 2008 and they are still awaiting the rest of it.
Two years since the murders at a Lindo Creek, Upper Berbice River mining camp, police are still awaiting the results of DNA testing from Jamaican authorities.
Specialists from that sister CARICOM State undertook a series of tests on the remains of the eight murdered miners.
Six of the experts came here on July 18, 2009 and visited the crime scene, from where a number of samples were taken.
Although no charges have ever been laid against anyone for the unlawful killings, members of the Rondell Rawlins alias ‘Fine Man’ gang were blamed.
The discovery of the burnt bodies was made early on the morning of June 21, 2008, by the camp owner, Dean Arokium, who found the corpses wrapped in tarpaulin.
Those believed to have been killed are Arokium’s son, Dax, 29; his brother, Cedric called ‘Brother’, 51; Clifton Wong known as ‘Berry’, 46; Lancelot Lee nicknamed ‘Piggy’, 42; Compton Spires called ‘Tona’, 58; Horace Drakes or ‘Pona’, 40; Bonny Harry, 48 and Nigel Torres, 17.
On September 1, 2009, the Ministry of Home Affairs disclosed that the competent Jamaican authority, which conducted the DNA analysis on the bones found at Lindo Creek, concluded that they belonged to at least six individuals.
However, only three full profiles were obtained, the Ministry said in a statement, which added that two were associated with reference samples submitted by possible parents.
But the references were inadequate to establish any relationship.
Subsequently, the competent Jamaican Authority requested DNA samples of Lancelot Lee, Horace Drakes, Cedric Arokium and Nigel Torres.
Dean Arokium implicated members of the Joint Services in the massacre but the latter have strongly denied involvement.
The police have disclosed – ballistics tests on the spent shells retrieved from the scene established that they matched one of the weapons that was recovered, by the security forces, from Cecil Ramcharran called ‘Uncle Willie’ and Robin Chung nicknamed ‘Chung Boy’ who were slain at Goat Farm during a confrontation with lawmen.
Police had said they encountered Rawlins and his gang who confronted them at Christmas Falls on June 6, 2008 when one of the gunmen was killed and six others managed to escape.