Body of missing farmer found in Skeldon shallow grave

-suspect confesses to cops

The body of a missing Corentyne farmer was found buried in a shallow grave at Skeldon on Thursday and one of his customers has since confessed to strangling him.

Rice and cattle farmer Henry Lallman, 76, of Number 55 Village, Corentyne had been missing since Monday.

The suspect in the murder, in whose yard Lallman was found buried, is in police custody.

Sources said the suspect confessed to the murder, telling investigators that he strangled the pensioner and then placed his body into the grave he dug and covered it with zinc.

Henry Lallman
Henry Lallman

Police were able to stumble upon the man’s partially decomposed body after they were informed by Lallman’s family that he went to the suspect’s home on Monday and never returned.

A neighbour of the suspect informed Lallman’s family that she learnt that he was missing when she saw advertisements being aired on television informing the public that a search was ongoing to find him.

Police subsequently acted on the information received and discovered the man’s body around 5PM on Thursday in a shallow grave dug under a mango tree in the suspect’s yard.

Meanwhile, the man’s son, Rabindra Lallman, told reporters that he learnt that his father went to collect money that was owed to him from the suspect, who is one of his customers. The suspect, who is a butcher, would normally purchase cows from the deceased.

On Tuesday, the man went to the butcher and enquired if his father had visited him. He said the suspect replied in the positive. The suspect further explained that the deceased collected $220,000 during the visit and left. The grieving son took the suspect at his word and left to continue the search for his father.

A post-mortem examination is expected to be performed on Monday on Lallman’s body.