Mon Repos man found dead in trench

A man was yesterday found dead in a trench situated behind his Mon Repos, East Coast Demerara home and relatives have ruled out foul play.

Joseph ‘Joe’ Mohamed, who is said to be in his 40s, was pulled out of the water around 13:30 hours.

When Stabroek News visited relatives of the dead man, who live nearby, they indicated that he was last seen the previous day when he visited to have a meal around lunch.

Joseph Mohamed

“Yesterday (Wednesday) morning he come early and left and go back home then he come fuh `lil lunch and I give he and I ain’t see he back since,” his sister, Anira Mohamed, said.

The woman explained that the gruesome discovery was made in front of her as she signalled a man to swim through the trench to collect something.

“A boy that does chase cow around here went passing and he ask meh fuh a lil money so he jump in the trench and been coming over and when he swimming now, he jam something and hold it by the jersey and raise it up and see is Joe,” she told this newspaper.

She noted that the man hurriedly left the scene before neighbours were alerted by her loud screams. The police were called and in their presence, neighbours assisted in retrieving the body.

Mohamed, who was employed as a handyman at a Plaisance Market pharmacy, was said to be a heavy drinker. On the previous night, neighbours said he returned home in a drunken state.

It was speculated that after eating the food given to him by his sister, the man went to the trench to wash his hands and stumbled into it.

The distraught sister said that beside her brother’s bad drinking habit, Mohamed was a very good person to her who ensured she was always taken care of.

“Every time he get pay and suh he is come bring a `lil money or buy two things for my small daughter… up to the other day he telling me don’t worry with lesson fees, how he gon pay it,” the woman said as she broke down into tears.