A grisly murder yesterday rocked No.72 Village Squatting Area, on the Corentyne and set police on the trail of a killer.

Heerawattie Tekram

Heerawattie Tekram, 43,  was found with chop marks about her body at about 05:45 hours, shortly after her sister-in-law heard screams coming from her home where her daughters discovered the body. Tekram was found lying on the ground with her throat and face, neck, back and head bearing chop marks. Her husband was taken from the backdam to help with the investigation.

Nadia, Tekram’s sister-in-law, told Stabroek News that Heerawattie lived with her husband Azim Khan, a labourer at the Skeldon Estate and two children Naliesha and Chitrawattie. According to Chitrawattie, the eldest of the two girls, her mother had earlier in the morning finished preparing her father’s lunch to take to work. She would usually get up early in the morning and cook on the “fireside” in the yard. Chitrawattie said that she and her sister were awake but lying on the bed when they heard a scream. They quickly rush outside to their front veranda and there they saw their mother lying on the ground bleeding. They began screaming and crying.

Nadia said that it was not suspected as a robbery since the family was poor while Heerawattie was not known for getting into trouble with people.

The police said last evening that they were investigating Tekram’s murder. (Adrian Smith)