Alexis Anne Lester, the Sophia woman whose body was discovered Tuesday night in a canal just behind the Botanical Gardens, may have been strangled.

Stabroek News was reliably informed yesterday that visible marks around Lester’s neck might possibly be an indication that the woman was strangled. A post-mortem examination will be conducted on her body tomorrow to determine the cause of death.

Lester’s body was discovered by a woman who was walking along Sheriff Street sometime around 6 pm Tuesday. The woman was initially identified as being “Anne Dey.” The same woman had explained that at approximately 4 am Tuesday Lester and her reputed husband were heard arguing. The deceased was last seen at about 7am that day by other residents but no one could say what happened to her after.

Police had taken Lester’s reputed husband into custody for questioning Tuesday night but Stabroek News could not confirm whether the man was released. When approached by this newspaper Tuesday evening the man had said that Lester did not live with him and gave directions where her “relatives” could be found. He had refused to comment further.

Gwendolyn Younge, a 92-year-old woman who lives a short distance away from Lester’s reputed husband, had reported that she last saw Lester on Monday afternoon. Late last week, Younge explained, Lester had been released from “a shelter” and had stayed a few nights at her house. Lester, the woman said,
“She wasn’t too right in her head,” Younge had said.

Several other Sophia residents who knew Lester also described the woman as not “being too right in her head” yesterday afternoon. However, despite this residents stressed that they did not believe Lester would commit suicide.

“She didn’t too right in she head,” a woman said yesterday, “but whenever Anne trip out she was never a violent person and she never try to hurt she self or kill she self or nothing like that…it really bothering me to know how she end up in de Blacka [the canal].” Meanwhile, residents said that as far as they know Lester’s reputed husband is not a violent man and was never seen mistreating or hitting the deceased.