By Nafeeza Yahya-Sakur

WEST BERBICE residents took to the streets in protest, after the battered bodies of two teenagers were found dumped in a clump of bush at Cotton Tree Backdam, on Sunday afternoon.

The bodies of two cousins, Isaiah Henry, 16, and Joel Henry, 19, both of Number Three Village, West Coast Berbice (WCB) were found three villages away in the backlands.

Both bodies bore several ‘chop wounds’. Isaiah had the letter ‘X’ carved on the back of his head and forehead, while Joel’s chest was cut open, exposing his organs.

Gladstone Henry, the father of Isaiah, said the boys left early Saturday morning for the backdam to pick coconut, but when they did not return by late afternoon, he became worried.
After the night passed, the police were alerted and a search party was organised early Sunday

morning.

During the search, the party came across a bag of peeled coconuts with a rod that they identified as the one the lads left with, but saw no trace of the two teens.
A larger search party was formed and a wider search was conducted and they eventually stumbled on the body of Isaiah in a clump of bush, a far distance away from where the coconuts were found.
A further search led to the discovery of the body of Joel which was found, face down, in a ditch a short distance away, with a gaping wound to his chest.

“My son neck was slashed, his face was cut like a cow face that you cut up to make pepperpot and he had a X on he forehead, all because of a few coconuts… these men killed before because they would never been able to put a ‘X’ on my son face,” the emotional father declared.

He continued that he wanted justice and was calling on the police to conduct a thorough investigation, since from his findings, there was evidence to suggest the killer/s went to great lengths to conceal the tracks.

“They try to cover up the bicycle tracks and you could see the bodies drag far and the blood trail on the dam and to the trench till the next over. Them boys strong and them could not get to do what them want with them to hide them away, but we know this whole backdam and
was able to find them.”

The manner in which the youths met their demise has sent the villagers in a state of shock and anger as they took to the streets in protest, burning tyres and blocking the roads demanding justice.

As the bodies were brought out around 18:30hrs, many residents who gathered at the entrance to the Cotton Tree backdam, expressed outrage while demanding justice for the youths.
“An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, we want justice!” they shouted as the hearse took the bodies away.

By 19:00hrs, the villagers gathered at the homes of the two youths to show solidarity and support for their families. They then moved towards the end of the Number Four village as others joined with tyres and other debris, setting them on fire and blocked the roads to express their outrage. By 21:00hrs, the protesters moved to Cotton Tree Village where they continued their calls for justice while continuing to block the roadways.

A 57-year-old man has since been arrested, based on information provided to the police. Up to press time, he remained in custody assisting with the investigation.