The decomposed body of a man of African descent was found face-down in a drain at Borlam, Corentyne around 5 am yesterday and police are still trying to determine his identity.

A young woman told Stabroek News that she was returning home from her routine walk when she became aware of a strong smell emanating from the drain.

Thinking it was a dead dog the woman continued walking but later realized it was a body. She informed her father who was leaving for work and an older sister who contacted the Albion and the New Amsterdam Police stations.

The body which was clad in a blue vest and a pair of blue three-quarter jeans was removed from the scene around 10 am and taken to the Arokium Funeral Parlour. The man’s feet were partly covered by the water.

When undertakers lifted the body to remove it persons observed that the tongue was hanging out and his neck appeared to be swollen, suggesting that he may have been strangled.

But police in Berbice say they cannot ascertain whether the man had been murdered because of the advanced state of decomposition. They would have to await the results of a post-mortem.

According to the woman, the body was first discovered around 4 pm on Tuesday by a farmer who was tending to his cows in the area. He alerted residents and asked them to call the police and went about his business. But the residents failed to contact the police.

As the news spread around the village yesterday a crowd gathered at the scene to get a glimpse of the body. Persons commented that they had never seen the man and even felt that he may have been murdered elsewhere and his body dumped there.