December 16 ,2020
Dr. Luis Fondebrider yesterday afternoon held a public lecture at the Roman Catholic Cathedral about the work of the EAAF team
-McCormack disappointed at outcome of meeting
Director of the Argentine Team of Forensic Anthropology (EAAF) Dr. Luis Fondebrider has requested a list of documents from the police in order to offer advice on solving the murders of West Coast Berbice (WCB) youths Isaiah and Joel Henry and Haresh Singh but so far the law enforcers have not committed to do this.
Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of a public lecture last evening at the Roman Catholic Cathedral, Dr. Fondebrider said that he would only be in a position to provide recommendations and advice on the probes once the documents, said to number about 20, are provided to him.
Dr. Fondebrider, accompanied by Argentina’s Ambassador to Guyana Dr. Felipe Gardella and Guyana Human Rights Association (GHRA) Co-President Mike McCormack, yesterday morning met with Minister of Home Affairs Robeson Benn. Also present at the meeting were Commissioner of Police (ag) Nigel Hoppie and Crime Chief Wendell Blanhum.
During the meeting, Dr. Fondebrider provided Blanhum with the list of documents that he requires, including autopsy reports, pictures of the crime scenes and maps.
“I need documents. I need reports from the crime scene, from the autopsy, the complete analysis. I don’t have it……I told them very clearly what I need. I need documents from the work of the crime scene, I need to see pictures, maps, the scriptures, to which labs were the samples taken from the bodies from the scene sent, I need to see the autopsy reports, how long it took the autopsy, the condition of the mortuary. Only with that information, after re-analysing, I can offer opinion and advice,” he explained.
However, he said he was not provided with a definite answer as to whether the documents will be made available to him. “They were not just ‘we are going to give you’. They didn’t give me a date or any kind of clear information about this data I have requested,” Dr. Fondebrider said.
Contacted for a comment on the outcome of the meeting, Benn yesterday told Stabroek News that the meeting was “fairly cordial”. “…We identified that we are working diligently to finalize the issue and we will be in touch whenever necessary,” he said.
No technical or professional exchange
McCormack told reporters last night that he was not pleased with the level of interaction which took place during the meeting.
He said Dr. Fondebrider’s agenda included a meeting with the police, and specifically local investigators, but this did not take place. “There was no technical or professional exchange with the police,” McCormack said, while calling it “disappointing.”
He said the level of support which was initially promised is not being presented. “The sense of support that the police initially required or asked for…..this is not just a GHRA initiative… so it’s a disappointing and it’s not moving forward,” McCormack noted.
McCormack further related that the GHRA will have to conduct a review as to how they will proceed. “…We have to review how we are going to move forward. It’s not the end of the story that’s for sure,” he said.
In early October, the GPF, the GHRA and the law firm Hughes, Fields & Stoby had announced that the EAAF team had offered to aid local authorities with the investigations.
The agencies, in a joint statement, had said that the team which has worked on high profile cases in many parts of the world, offered to send a team to Guyana, including a forensic pathologist, a forensic anthropologist, a forensic radiologist and a criminalist.
Dr. Fondebrider arrived in Guyana on Saturday to assess whether his team can assist the police with the investigations.
During his visit, he conducted a number of interactions and visits, which will determine whether the EAAF is capable of assisting local police with the probes.
On Sunday, Dr Fondebrider met and interacted with the families of the three teenagers. He was accompanied by attorney Nigel Hughes, who through his law firm, Hughes, Fields & Stoby, is representing, pro bono, the interests of the families of the Henrys.
On the same day, he also visited the scenes where the bodies of the Henrys as well as Singh were found.
Additionally, Dr Fondebrider visited the Georgetown Public Hospital (GPH) mortuary on Monday.
Announcing on Saturday the visit of Dr Fondebrider, the Guyana Human Rights Association (GHRA) said it facilitated it in keeping with the wishes of the families of the teenagers.
In a press statement, GHRA said that upon the conclusion of his visit, a determination will be made as to whether the EAAF team is capable of providing any support to police in the investigations.
“As a result of the visit, the EAAF will determine whether and to what degree they may be able to support the Guyana Police Force in its investigations. If that conclusion is positive the modalities of how it may be implemented will be addressed,” the statement said.
Integral
An integral part of the visit, according to the Dr Fondebrider, was to meet and interact with the families of the teenagers. “What’s important is to interface with the families…I cannot promise anything to the families but I visit there earlier, I saw it and we will see what happen next,” he said.
In such cases, he noted, it is a norm for processing of the crime scene to take at least one day and an autopsy to last for about four to six hours.
“When you visit a crime scene after three months—and rural crime scene, a normal crime scene takes at least one day of work at the crime scene. An autopsy of this case is at least a minimum four to six hours of each body, following what is called Minnesota Protocol, it’s the only document recommended by United Nation for this kind of investigations. I don’t know how it was done until I have those documents I can give an opinion but for me,” Dr Fondebrider stated.
Isaiah, 16, a student at the Woodley Park Secondary School, and Joel, 18, who worked at the Blairmont Estate, went missing on Saturday, September 5, after they left home for the Cotton Tree backlands to pick coconuts.
Their mutilated bodies were found the next day during a search, sparking days of unrest in West Berbice. Days after, another teenager, Singh, was also murdered in what is believed to be a reprisal killing.
In September, the Caribbean Community’s Implementation Agency for Crime and Security (CARICOM IMPACS) and the Regional Security System (RSS) visited to assist local police with the investigations.
President Irfaan Ali had taken a decision to have the team here after dozens of ranks combed the backlands of No. 2 and No. 3 villages, WCB and found nothing of “evidential” value for the investigation into the murders.
Following their departure, a report was prepared. While the findings were not made public, Ali had also told the media that the RSS team has recommended additional work be done.
Subsequently, Benn had practically ruled out having the Argentinean forensic team here – even though the GPF was prepared to receive it – as he said the government does not intend to go beyond its “normal lines” of engagement in trying to solve the murders.
Benn had told reporters that in cases of this nature, it’s a norm for authorities to engage overseas agencies from United States, the United Kingdom and Canada.
Dr. Fondebrider expressed that EAAF’s hopes that it can assist with the investigations and provide training to Guyanese.
“I hope we [can] offer assistance to the Guyanese Government with the investigation because we have been working many, many years doing this kind of job and I understand for Guyana solving a crime like this is like football, now the ball is in the field of the state… I will be more than happy to cooperate and to review the case as well as to start a programme of training together with the Argentine Government together with the Ambassador…we will see what happen in the next days,” he explained.
Dr. Fondebrider is scheduled to depart Guyana this morning. He will then compile a report on his visit, which will be handed over to the GHRA upon completion.
He said the report is likely to take a period of three weeks to be prepared if the documents are provided in a timely manner. “Without those documents, it will be a very short report about my activities,” he added.
