TWO families of the feared drowned “backtrack” trio had their worst fears confirmed as the bodies of Alwin Joseph and Baboni Harihar were found washed up on the foreshore early Wednesday morning even as the search continues for the third, Sherida Hussein.
The body of Joseph was discovered around 06: 25 hrs by his relatives who were part of a search party. The discovery was made on the #63 beach foreshore in the vicinity of Number 60 village, East Berbice, Corentyne. Joseph was found lying face down on the beach and was clad in a purple short pants and a camouflage vest. Blood was seen in his ears, nose and mouth. None of his personal belongings were recovered, nor found in the area.

The news of his death has taken a toll on the family as they, like the other families, were hoping to find the trio alive.
“Me nah been expect that at all… after he call say he a left and then me brother call and seh he reach; me expect to see him but never me expect wan news like this,” Narinee Shamsundar, a cousin whom Joseph was expected to stay with during his visit to Guyana, related.
Shamsundar said she only learnt late on Tuesday evening that Joseph made the special trip to visit her brother, whom they both grew up with. Her brother is very ill and hospitalised.  The ill man is unaware his cousin died as relatives are fearful news of Joseph’s death may cause his condition to worsen.

VERY SICK
“Me nah know he was coming to visit me brother, he very sick and his pressure is very high for the past three weeks; it nah go down and as them keep doing tests, is more complaints and sick them a find. So Alwin tell me seh he a come see he and now this morning he a ask where he cousin deh, that he come in Guyana Monday night but we nah tell him nothing because it go send he pressure more high, and we nah know what guh happen to he,” Shamsundar sobbed as she wiped the tears from her face.
Meanwhile, the body of 77-year-old Harihar, popularly called “Doris” was found by a fisherman some nine villages further up the Corentyne foreshore at #69 village as he was tending to his seine. According to police, the fisherman noticed a handbag nearby and upon further investigation, he saw the lifeless body of a female in a clump of mangroves and raised an alarm.
Harihar was discovered facing upward. She was clad in a black and red dress and the skin on her hands and feet were peeled. A small pocket of blood was found next to her body. A black and white Adidas haversack was also found nearby. It contained some clothing and a Guyana Identification Card for one Sookranie Harry. A short distance away, a travelling bag with a black purse was also found. In that bag, Harihar’s identification card was found.

POSITIVELY IDENTIFIED
The body was taken to the Anthony’s Funeral Parlour at Epson Village where her grand-daughter, Nadira Valdez, was able to positively identify the remains as that of her grandmother.
Sunita Sukra, the daughter of Harihar, disclosed to the media that her mother left Guyana in December following calls from relatives here for her to visit her grandchildren in Suriname. She wanted to return home to see her great-grandchildren and was placed on board a boat owned by a relative and accompanied by another relative, along with two other passengers on Monday night. Sukra continued that they were unaware that her mother had left to come to Guyana and it was until a relative called to enquire if she reached home that they went to the Number 63 foreshore looking for her.

She disclosed that the relative on the boat told them that he left her along with the other two passengers on a sandbank and was unaware how far it was from shore.
“When me son-in-law ask me brother-in-law where really he drop off me mother, he said he drop them on a sea bank on the river over there and he didn’t realise that distance far away from the shore. He didn’t realise that the distance was suh far away and when he do check back, they were already gone,” the daughter related.
Up to press time, the relatives of Sherida Hussein were still combing the Corentyne foreshore hoping to find her.
On Monday evening, at around 19:00hrs, Hussain, Harihar and Joseph left Nickerie, Suriname, bound for Guyana in a speed boat. They were dropped off on a sandbank by the captain and a relative of Harihar in the vicinity of #63 Beach. From all indication, they were swept away by high tide in their attempt to make it safely to shore.
The bodies of Joseph and Harihar are awaiting an autopsy at the Anthony’s Funeral Parlor while the search continues for Hussein.