With the help of the Brazilian government, it usually takes the Guyana Police Force (GPF) approximately three months to conduct a DNA (Deoxyribonucleic Acid) test—but in one particular case, it took detectives two years to inform a victim’s family of the findings from that test.
It is currently unclear if it was Brazil’s forensic lab that took all this time or it was the GPF. However, it has been found before that local ranks sometimes take very long to inform the relatives.
In March 2017, 63-year-old Bisundial Vasquez of Friendship, East Bank Demerara (EBD) disappeared while working as a caretaker on a farm at Silicone Green, Kuru Kuru, on the Linden/Soesdyke Highway.
Three months later, burnt human bones, teeth, hair and Vasquez’s slippers were found on the same farm. DNA samples were taken from the man’s children to confirm whether the remains found were that of the missing caretaker.
Guyana Standard has now been informed that Vasquez’s children were only informed that the human remains were that of their father in May, last and this was only after they persistently pursued the matter.
The children are now begging for the GPF to release the little remains they have of their father so that they can bury it.
“They told us the bones and hair is at Lyken Funeral home but we have been trying for a long time to get the remains to bury it but they are not handing it over. Every time you call, it’s always, Monday, Wednesday or Friday,” the man’s daughter-in-law, Sarojini Vasquez said.
The woman stressed that it was not easy getting the result from the DNA test. “They told us it will take three months to get the result. After the time passed, we called and called and called. It was only in May 2019 when I called then a rank told me the remains belong to my father-in-law.”
Not only does Vasquez’s family want the remains to be handed over to them but they are hoping that the police can find the persons who killed him. They believe that his employer had something to do with the man’s death.
The father of three went missing shortly after bandits allegedly broke into a shack on the farm and escaped with a number of items, including a boat engine. His employer had suggested to the police that he might have stolen the items and disappeared.
However, it was during a search at the farm that the remains were found. Additionally, while searching the farm, police discovered a marijuana plot about 10 miles from where the remains were found.
It is suspected that the man’s death is linked to both the marijuana farm and the alleged robbery. Acting Crime Chief, Senior Superintendent Michael Kingston could not be reached for comment.
