…victims were strangled 

FOUR persons, including a woman, have been arrested for the killing of two elderly women earlier this week at their South Road, Bourda home, police have confirmed.

Police also said that post-mortems were conducted on the bodies of Constance Fraser and Phylis Caesar on Friday by Government Pathologist, Dr. Nehaul Singh, who gave the cause of death as asphyxiation due to suffocation and manual strangulation, compounded by trauma to the head.

The Ministry of Social Protection has since condemned the killing of the two women, 87-year-old Constance Fraser and 75-year-old Phyllis Caesar. Their bound bodies were found in their Albert Street and South Road, Bourda home on Tuesday. Saying that it is deeply saddened to learn of the deaths, the ministry has called for swift apprehension of the perpetrators of the crime. “Our senior citizens should be treated with reverence and the utmost respect; we at the Ministry of Social Protection call on all Guyanese to honour the elderly, respect and protect them, and hold them in the highest regard, as we continue to recognise the elderly in the month of October under the theme, “Stepping into the future: Tapping the talents, contributions and participation of older persons in society.” The ministry said it hoped that the perpetrators of this crime are apprehended and the full extent of the law is handed down. “To the aggrieved families, the Ministry of Social Protection extends sincere condolences. May Constance Fraser and Phyllis Caesar rest in eternal peace,” the release added.

Members of the South Road Full Gospel Assembly and friends and family of the elderly women were in tears Tuesday after hearing what had occurred. The women were found lying faces down in separate bedrooms with their hands and feet bound and mouths gagged. According to a relative, the house was ransacked, and items appeared to be missing.

Persons who were close to the women said after several efforts to contact them had failed, they decided to contact the police, who made the gruesome discovery around 07:00hrs. The police believe that the incident occurred between 19:20hrs on Monday and the wee hours of the morning on Tuesday.
Reports from the police have revealed that a door of the upper flat of the two-storey building was opened. Relatives said this was the third time the women had been robbed. One recalled that during the last robbery, the intruders had made off with cellular phones and money.

It is also the second time they have been robbed after receiving their monthly pensions. “This is a real tragedy, because those women were basically helpless because of their age,” said a pastor of the South Road Full Gospel Assembly, who pointed out that Constance had seven children but all lived apart. Caesar, who had no children, had been living with Constance for over 50 years. The police have launched an investigation into the double murder.