–DNA results confirm
THE human skeletal remains discovered in an abandoned sandpit at Madewini, on the Soesdyke-Linden Highway, have been positively identified as those of missing Police Constable Quincy Lewis, according to the Guyana Police Force.
The confirmation came after an extensive investigation conducted by a team of forensic investigators from the Criminal Investigations Department Headquarters.

Constable Lewis, who had been reported missing since 2020, sparked a large-scale search operation involving law enforcement agencies and concerned citizens. The discovery of the remains provided a breakthrough in the investigation into his mysterious disappearance.

“In order to ascertain the veracity of this belief, the bones were later examined by a forensic pathologist, and confirmed to be those of a male of African ancestry between the ages of 21 and 40, with an estimated height of 5 feet 9 inches to 5 feet 11 inches.
“However, due to the advanced state of decomposition of the remains, the process of positive identification was not possible without DNA testing,” the GPF said in a release on Wednesday.

In order to establish the conclusive identity of the remains, samples were obtained from close relatives of Constable Lewis, and then sent overseas for comprehensive DNA testing, a process known for its accuracy in forensic identification.
After meticulous analysis and comparison, the results of the DNA testing have now confirmed, without a doubt, that the skeletal remains indeed belong to Constable Lewis.

The outcome of this testing has brought closure to the investigations surrounding his disappearance, and will provide his family with much-needed answers.
Lewis disappeared in 2020, after leaving his La Parfaite Harmonie, West Bank Demerara home for work.

However, the case was cracked wide open on April 19, 2023, after investigators arrested two individuals, namely: Shafeek Vernon, also known as ‘Profit’, of Ogle, East Coast Demerara, and Jamel Van Lewis, 35, of D’Urban Street, Georgetown, who allegedly identified a married couple as the prime suspects.

Vernon and Lewis are currently on remand for Constable Lewis’ murder, while the police had issued wanted bulletins for reputed couple, Naqeeba Zahid Zafarali and Thakurdial Samaroo. The couple has reportedly fled the jurisdiction, but word is that they’d allegedly lured Lewis to their home on the East Bank Demerara, where he was shot and killed.
They’re then alleged to have transported his body to somewhere in the vicinity of the Splashmin’s Resort on the Soesdyke-Linden Highway, where they dumped it.

Lewis, who was a serving member of the Guyana Police Force since 2015, was stationed at the Agricola Police Station, East Bank Demerara.
At the time of his disappearance, this newspaper had reported that Lewis was last seen alive on the afternoon of June 19, 2020, when he left in his friend’s car, PTT 7541, to report for work.