Boy, 14, found murdered in burial ground

– suspect held

The body of a 14-year-old boy was discovered in a Corentyne burial ground, some 300 feet from his home yesterday afternoon and the police have since arrested a suspect.

Akeem Grimmond of Lot 53 Section ‘B’ Number 61 Village was found dead around 2.30 pm yesterday, with multiple chop and stab wounds about his body.

Commander of ‘B’ Division Ian Amsterdam, when contacted, revealed to Stabroek News that the suspect in custody was arrested mainly because on Sunday morning he had confessed to his wife what he had done to the child and asked that they take coffee and biscuits to the family for the wake. A police source revealed that the wife made a report informing ranks of what was told to her.

Area where Akeem Grimmond’s body was found
Area where Akeem Grimmond’s body was found

The teen had reportedly gone missing on Saturday afternoon which led family members to launch a search party. According to a neighbour, she saw the teen around 5 pm on Saturday, leaving to go and pen his cattle which were grazing in the vicinity of the burial ground. This was a norm for the teen, the neighbour recounted.

A member of the Community Policing Group which discovered the body, said Grimmond’s mother had told them that she had a vision of her son calling out to her at the burial ground. This led the group to carry out another search at the burial ground, after which they discovered the body stashed away, face down in the drain next to a tamarind tree.

Grimmond’s stepfather, Ryan Persaud said he made a missing person’s report on Sunday morning at the Number 63 outpost. According to him, he told ranks there of his suspicions about a known character in the village.  “Me suspect him because me son does deh with he, he wife and brother-in-law at the back there grazing cows,” Persaud said. “He does pick people pocket. He is a baddie.”

The aggrieved father is calling for a thorough investigation to be carried out, since he believes that his stepson, who had been a part of his life since he was a toddler, did not deserve to die in such a manner. “The President need to look into this matter,” he said. “People like this shouldn’t be on the road.”

Grimmond’s mother, Parbattie, who is nine months pregnant is still in a state of shock at the loss of her son.

Meanwhile, this newspaper was reliably informed that a number of years ago the suspect in custody, had been accused of murder. The investigation into the matter continues. A post-mortem examination is expected to be conducted on the teen’s body today as investigators work on closing the case.