THE body of a 31-year-old fisherman, Andrew Barnwell, was found floating in the Mahaicony River, on Thursday.
According to information from the Guyana Police Force (GPF), the body was extracted from the river, by officers, around 15:55 hrs.

The man was last seen imbibing with another fisherman on a boat in the Central Mahaicony River around 19:00 hrs, on May 31, 2022.
The 57-year-old fisherman, who was reportedly the last person to engage the victim, told police that, after they finished imbibing, they boarded another boat that was moored alongside the one they were initially on, with the intention of going to sleep.

Police said that the man further related that around 01:30 hrs on June 1, 2022, he awoke to a rocking boat, and upon checking, discovered it was untied. After securing the boat, he called out for Barnwell, but there was no response.

The fisherman told police that he made checks around the area, but could not locate Barnwell, so he went back to sleep.
Later on June 1, police said that the 57-year-old fisherman enquired about Barnwell’s whereabouts from the man’s wife, who related that she had not seen or heard from him.

The man subsequently visited the Mahaicony Police Station on June 2 and lodged a report about the missing man.

At about 15:55 hrs, on June 2, 2022, a group of fishermen saw the body of Barnwell floating in the Mahaicony River and informed the police. The man’s body, clad in a blue short pants and a dark blue vest, was retrieved by police ranks. Barnwell’s body was positively identified by his 59-year-old mother of Airy Hall, Mahaicony.

Police said that there were no marks of violence seen on the exposed parts of the body. The body is now at Bailey’s Funeral Parlour, awaiting a post-mortem examination as investigations continue.