THE body of Chandarie Budhoo, popularly known as ‘Aunty Dayo’, 82, and of Lot 83 Tain Settlement, East Berbice Corentyne, was discovered on Wednesday morning by a helper when she went to check on the woman.

According to Liloutie Samaroo, called ‘Devika’, she showed up as she does every day at around 07:30hrs only to find the gate locked and ‘Aunty Dayo’ not in the rocking chair waiting to greet her as she enters. After several unanswered calls, Samaroo decided to enter the yard and noticed the backdoor open. She called out again several times, but when she entered the house and noticed the house ransacked she decided to retreat and raised an alarm.

“Me see one set a plastic bags packup on the floor in the kitchen and everything tumble up all over so me call the boys wha did passing and when them go in them see she on the ground tie up by she hands and feet”. The woman continued with tears streaming down her face that she immediately began screaming and asked the neighbours to call the police. The pensioner was found clad in her sleep wear with her hands and feet bound with pieces of cloth, blood oozing from her nose and what appears to be strangulation marks on her neck.

The entire house was ransacked and several bags were packed with kitchen utensils that the attacker/s left behind. A side door and the door to the upper flat were also broken. Up to press time it was unclear what perpetrators carted off.

Ashton Deonarine, a nephew of the deceased, recalled that his aunt lived alone. She was beaten and relieved of cash and jewelry, previously, but never reported the matter to the police, out of fear. “When I received the message, I went to the Whim Police Station and informed them; afterwards they began their investigation. When they were removing her body I saw her hands and feet tied with a cloth, and what appears to be a towel wrapped around her neck”.

Police sources have confirmed two persons were detained for questioning, a 21- year-old and a 31-year-old as the investigations continue. The incident left many elderly residents in the community feeling uneasy and fearful. A resident and friend of the victim, Rena Outar, told the Guyana Chronicle her last chat with her friend was on Tuesday afternoon when she visited her and they sat on the bench by the gate “gaffing”.

Another friend of Budhoo, Willomena Shields, said that she felt saddened over the killing and hoped the Police can bring the persons responsible to face justice. “She was so friendly and loving, imagine when them was doing that to her, how she so quiet, you couldn’t even hear her scream. She nah deserve that what them do. If them want rob she, fine tek what them want and leave her, but fuh kill she like this. Them just heartless. The poor old lady don’t trouble no one”. The body was removed by undertakers and is presently at the Ramoo’s funeral home awaiting an autopsy. Investigations are ongoing.