— stomach contents sent overseas to see if it was ingested

PRELIMINARY analysis of the whitish hard substance found in the back seat of the vehicle where 25-year-old Paishnarine “Ritchie” Hansraj and 34-year-old Justin Teixeira were found dead in the parking lot of the Marriott Hotel last Saturday, has confirmed the presence of cyanide.
“Analyses of stomach contents will be concluded at laboratories overseas to confirm whether in fact this substance containing cyanide was indeed ingested,” the Ministry of Home Affairs noted in a press statement on Friday.
According to Home Affairs Minister Robeson Benn, who was speaking to reporters on Friday, reagents needed for testing at the Guyana Forensic Science Laboratory were not available to do the necessary tests, since it was not within the range of examinations being done at the lab.
He noted that within a week’s time all the necessary information pertaining to the test will be received.
The autopsies conducted on the bodies were inconclusive and relatives were also instructed not to cremate the bodies, as there may be need to have them exhumed.
The autopsies were performed by government pathologist Dr Nehaul Singh on Monday at the Memorial Gardens Funeral Home and the bodies were handed over to the relatives for burial.
Police Headquarters, on Monday, noted that stomach contents were removed from both bodies and handed over to investigators.
It is believed that both men took their lives. The police in a statement reported that investigators were reviewing CCTV footage in an effort to determine the circumstances leading to the death of the young men.
According to the police, investigators were told by a 28-year-old employee of the Marriott Hotel that he received a telephone call from Teixeira’s 60-year-old mother, around 23:30 hours, that her son was having a seizure. The mother asked if someone could check on him.
The hotel employee said he immediately dispatched another employee to check on Teixeira who was a guest at the hotel, and it was discovered that the room he was staying in on the sixth floor was empty.
The employee then went just after midnight to Teixeira’s black Vezel motorcar (PAC 2607) in the parking lot where he observed Teixeira sitting in the driver’s seat and all the windows of the vehicle were halfway down.
The employee said he opened the front passenger door and discovered Hansraj sitting in a crunch-like position. Both Teixeira and Hansraj appeared to be motionless.
The employee immediately called 911 and the ambulance with EMT arrived; both men were pronounced dead at the scene.
Police confirmed that no marks of violence were seen on the exposed parts of the bodies. The bodies were escorted to the Memorial Garden Funeral Home.
Teixeira was a flight attendant and lived at Republic Park, East Bank Demerara. Hansraj was known for his singing and was expected to be engaged next month. He resided at Hague, West Coast Demerara and was the only son of his parents.