…post-mortem finds

A POST-MORTEM has revealed that 28-year-old businesswoman Rosella Smith was strangled to death at Three Miles, Karrau backlands, a few yards away from where she operates her business.

Smith, of Bamford Point, Bartica, sold goods from a make-shift camp at Three Miles, Karrau backlands.

The discovery was made around 12:30hrs on Friday, May 15, by a 23-year-old miner who found the woman’s body afloat in the mining pit.

Smith was last seen about 20:00hrs on Thursday, April 14, at her camp in company of a man called ‘Blackboy’ and was heard ‘laughing and talking’ with the said man later that night.

The body was examined by a crime scene technician and while no marks of violence were seen on the body,what appeared to be blood was seen around her nostrils.
Smith’s camp was checked and appeared to have been ransacked.

According to further information received, ‘Blackboy’ was seen leaving the backlands with a bag and bucket around 11:00hrs on Friday.
Efforts are underway to ascertain the man’s identity and apprehend him.

The body was taken to the Bartica Regional Hospital where a post-mortem examination was done on Monday, April 18, by Government Pathologist Nehaul Singh.
Singh give the cause of death as asphyxiation due to drowning by manual strangulation.