By Nafeeza Yahya-Sakur

A PORT Mourant, East-Berbice Corentyne family is seeking justice following the death of 29-year-old Ramona Doodnauth, known as ‘Canje Gal’ and ‘Tolo’, who died at the New Amsterdam Public Hospital on January 20, 2021, two weeks after she suffered burns to 90 per cent of her body.

The Sunday Chronicle understands that while she was hospitalised, Ramona told relatives that she wanted to kill herself, and so she set herself on fire, but she moments later retracted that statement and revealed that it was her husband who committed the heinous act.
A sister, Camiel LaFleur, revealed that Ramona was burnt beyond recognition; only her toes were untouched. Ramona, a mother of one, lived with her common-law husband at Ankerville, Port Mourant.

“When we went to the hospital and see she, I could not believe is her, ‘cause she whole body bun up except she toes. And after we ask her what happen, she said she burn she-self. But then afterwards, she confided and say is the man do it to her,” LaFleur told this newspaper.

Camiel further noted that Ramona also suffered wounds to her abdomen, legs and hands, but admitted that she was in the habit of imbibing and self-harming, but not to the extent where she would set herself alight.

According to LaFleur, prior to the incident, Ramona revealed to her mother that her husband would “chain her in the house and go out”. It is alleged that Ramona also confided in another relative, who’d visited her at the hospital, that it was her husband who had set her on fire.
The girls’ mother, Sattie Doodnauth, said she learnt of Ramona’s plight when a relative of the husband and a detective visited her house.

“Was a Thursday; the relative and a police come and tell me, ‘We need you at the hospital; yuh daughter bun she-self,’” Sattie said, adding: “My daughter is not capable of doing something like that to herself. She used to tell me how he used to ill-treat she.”
The mother is urging the police to conduct a thorough probe into the case.
When contacted, a senior police source revealed that the husband was initially arrested but released after Ramona provided a statement saying that she attempted to take her life after she found out he was having an affair with someone else in the same neighbourhood.

The police is encouraging the family come forward with whatever information they may have, since the investigation is still active.