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THREE-YEAR-OLD Douquan Edwards drowned in Marudi Creek, along the Soesdyke/Linden Highway on Thursday.
He was the son of Desmond Anthony Edwards and Shamela Browne, of Fourth Street, Industry, East Coast Demerara. The boy had attended an August 1 church outing with his mother but the principal and staff of Tender Care Play Group and Nursery School, George Street, Work-en-Rust, Georgetown, where he was a pupil burst into tears upon receiving the sad news.
The toddler’s almost inconsolable mother recalled that, shortly before mid-morning, the group arrived at the highway location and, soon after, the children began playing on the sand a short distance away from the water.
Browne said she was about to join an engagement with other church members and asked a woman, who was overseeing her two children, to keep an eye on her son. Soon after, he handed his ball to her and went back to the woman with whom she had left him.
About 15 minutes later, Douquan’s mother said she saw the woman in whose care she had left him approaching her and he was not with her. To her horror, Browne said she was told that her son had left to go towards her.
A search was hastily conducted and Douquan’s limp body was found but, despite artificial respiration efforts, he was pronounced dead when rushed to the Diamond Regional Hospital, East Bank Demerara.
The father of the deceased recalled that he was at home sleeping, when he got the message from a relative but declared he could not believe what he was hearing.
Son wrapped
He hurried to the Diamond Hospital, where his wife and other church members were and saw his son wrapped in cloth.
“I removed the cloth and saw his lifeless body. Yes, he was dead,” the man said, crying.
It was a very emotional moment at the school yesterday morning when the boy’s distraught parents turned up there and were embraced and offered condolences by the equally tearful staff, who had been caring their son since he was nine months old.
Lamenting his loss, the Principal, Ms. Linda Mc Calmon said Douquan was a wonderful child and they were like family.
“We feel the loss. He was so cute and dear to us, it’s like a member of the school’s family has been suddenly snatched away,” she said, adding that his death has come as a devastating blow to them all at Tender Care Play Group.
A post-mortem is to be performed on the corpse Monday. Douquan also leaves to mourn, his 10-year-old sister, Shania Edwards; grandparents Jacqueline Browne, Mary Alert and other relatives.
He was the son of Desmond Anthony Edwards and Shamela Browne, of Fourth Street, Industry, East Coast Demerara. The boy had attended an August 1 church outing with his mother but the principal and staff of Tender Care Play Group and Nursery School, George Street, Work-en-Rust, Georgetown, where he was a pupil burst into tears upon receiving the sad news.
The toddler’s almost inconsolable mother recalled that, shortly before mid-morning, the group arrived at the highway location and, soon after, the children began playing on the sand a short distance away from the water.
Browne said she was about to join an engagement with other church members and asked a woman, who was overseeing her two children, to keep an eye on her son. Soon after, he handed his ball to her and went back to the woman with whom she had left him.
About 15 minutes later, Douquan’s mother said she saw the woman in whose care she had left him approaching her and he was not with her. To her horror, Browne said she was told that her son had left to go towards her.
A search was hastily conducted and Douquan’s limp body was found but, despite artificial respiration efforts, he was pronounced dead when rushed to the Diamond Regional Hospital, East Bank Demerara.
The father of the deceased recalled that he was at home sleeping, when he got the message from a relative but declared he could not believe what he was hearing.
Son wrapped
He hurried to the Diamond Hospital, where his wife and other church members were and saw his son wrapped in cloth.
“I removed the cloth and saw his lifeless body. Yes, he was dead,” the man said, crying.
It was a very emotional moment at the school yesterday morning when the boy’s distraught parents turned up there and were embraced and offered condolences by the equally tearful staff, who had been caring their son since he was nine months old.
Lamenting his loss, the Principal, Ms. Linda Mc Calmon said Douquan was a wonderful child and they were like family.
“We feel the loss. He was so cute and dear to us, it’s like a member of the school’s family has been suddenly snatched away,” she said, adding that his death has come as a devastating blow to them all at Tender Care Play Group.
A post-mortem is to be performed on the corpse Monday. Douquan also leaves to mourn, his 10-year-old sister, Shania Edwards; grandparents Jacqueline Browne, Mary Alert and other relatives.
