The body of ranch worker 61-year-old Frederick Moses Mandook of Lot 338 Ankerville, Port Mourant was found in a trench on Wednesday afternoon not far from his Borlam workplace and home. There were no visible injuries.

Frederick Mandook

His wife Indrawattie Parbodyal told Stabroek News that both of them worked for Khrist Jagdeo who owns a ranch at Borlam turn and her husband looked after the cattle while she cared for the pregnant horses.

She said she is certain  that “foul play” was not involved as her husband’s body had no injuries or wounds.  “And he doesn’t even get any enemy. He does always laugh and mek jokes with everybody.” She told Stabroek News that they started living at the ranch “since last year November” and were enjoying the work there. A post-mortem is expected today.

She said that on Wednesday afternoon her husband put on his ‘long boots’ and left to get a horse and then he went for the cattle. However after an hour she noted that the horse alone had returned and so she went in search of her husband.

She related that she searched all the tracks she felt he would have used but could not see him so she called their employer as she was becoming very worried.  Khrist Jagdeo’s wife answered the phone and she told her to “tell the boss man that me can’t find Frederick.”

She said that their employer quickly responded with “one jeep load of men” and they started searching and within a short while they found her husband’s body with his head stuck in a trench and his two feet with the long boots on “sticking out in the air.” Parbodyal  said she must have been “blind by this thing” because in her search she must have passed the same spot at the trench  “at least 10 times”  where he husband was found.

There were also lots of “shame baby weeds” in the trench and “thick, thick mud at the bottom,” she related and the weeds may have prevented her from seeing the long boots sticking out.