– sledgehammer, crowbar found next to body

A CONTRACTOR is currently in custody following the gruesome discovery of the charred remains of 29-year-old Shannen Obermullah-Mohamed, outside her Parika, East Bank Essequibo home, which was under construction by him.

According to a police release, about 22:10 hours, Tuesday night, an anonymous caller (via telephone) reported to the Police about the discovery.

Police officers swiftly responded to the call, arriving at the scene 20 minutes later where they encountered a gruesome sight—an apparent burnt skull and torso amidst debris in front of an unfinished concrete structure. Nearby, a sledgehammer and crowbar were discovered.

Authorities canvassed the scene and questioned several individuals in the vicinity. One neighbour recalled seeing a man named ‘Rodwell’ burning wood and materials in the yard around 10:00 hours that morning but thought nothing of it at the time.

Further investigations unveiled disturbing details. On the morning of the day in question, Obermullah-Mohamed visited the location where her home was under construction by ‘Rodwell.’

“During the day, family members tried contacting Shannen, but all calls went unanswered, and her whereabouts were unknown,” the police said.

The situation took a sinister turn when family members ventured into the yard on Tuesday night.

They encountered a fire and noticed Rodwell walking away, disappearing into the darkness. Armed with buckets of water from a nearby source, they extinguished the flames and made a horrifying discovery—an apparent human skull among the charred debris. They promptly summoned the police.

“It was also brought to the attention of the ranks that ‘Rodwell’ is mentally unstable and is known to Shannen’s family. Despite his mental condition, they said he does quality construction for the family, and his fees are reasonable,” the police said in the release.

The scene was thoroughly processed, and pertinent items were tagged and placed into police custody.

Government Pathologist Doctor Nehaul Singh, on Wednesday, performed a post-mortem examination on the remains, and gave the cause of death as ‘Severe Blunt Trauma to Head’.

Dr Singh also opined that the deceased was dead before the fire. Body samples were taken for DNA testing.

Divisional Commander, Khali Pareshram, has confirmed that the suspect was arrested and is presently in Police custody assisting with the investigation.