THERE have been no new developments in the police probe into the murder of teenager Basmattie Moonsammy, 15, of Woodley Park, West Coast Berbice, since the last disclosure by the then Crime Chief, Seelall Persaud, stating that arrangements were being made to secure the services of a pathologist from overseas to perform a second post-mortem on the body.

Current Crime Chief Leslie James yesterday said that there is nothing new.
The decomposing body of Moonsammy was found on August 4, 2012 in a shallow grave and the then Deputy Commissioner of Police (Law Enforcement) Seelall Persaud had said that Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), Shalimar Ali-Hack had advised that another autopsy be conducted to determine the cause of death.

He had told the Guyana Chronicle that the Guyana Police Force (GPF) was seeking to acquire the services of Trinidad-based pathologist, Dr. Hubert Daisley for that purpose but there have been some glitches since he was very busy.

The then Crime Chief had said, once the pathologist gets here, the corpse would be exhumed. After the first post- mortem, done by local pathologist, Dr. Vivekanand Bridgejmohan deemed the cause of death as undetermined, three suspects who were in police custody assisting with investigations were placed on bail and released.

The three men from the same village as the victim were held for questioning days after the teen’s partly decomposing semi-nude body was discovered by a villager, buried in a shallow grave in a rice field.
The man who made the discovery is a rice farmer who was on his way to tend his crop at Number 11 Village, West Coast Berbice.

The teenager’s mother had identified her daughter by the clothing she was wearing at the time of her disappearance.
The girl had reportedly left home, while her mother was at work, for an unknown destination on July 29, 2012 abandoning her younger siblings.
A missing person report was made to the police and her mother searched days for her before her brutal demise shocked other residents and they pledged their support to the family in making funeral arrangements.
It is believed that the teen was either lured or forcibly taken to the rice field aback of the village where she lived, gang raped and murdered.
Written By Michel Outridge