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Bludgeoned Brickdam bag lady laid to rest

Preferred life on the streets
Geneiva Henry, 85, who was found bludgeoned to death on September 30 was buried yesterday after a simple ceremony at the Brickdam Cathedral.

Geneiva Henry

It was a fitting location for the service; the streets surrounding the church were the only home she ever wanted. She was homeless.

Quite a number of persons showed up to pay their last respects to Henry, who was a well-known figure in the vicinity of the Brickdam and Camp Street junction, where she could often be seen dragging bags behind her as she traversed the short strip of road between the church and the Brickdam Secondary School. They knew her as ‘Jenny.’ “She would always come here and sometimes we would talk to her and at night she would sleep right here,” a woman working at the presbytery opposite the church said yesterday.

A priest at the presbytery would always open the gate at night to allow Henry to sleep in the compound. He opened the gate on the night of September 29, but she was nowhere to be seen. Her body was found on the parapet the next day. The police were called.
A woman who knew Henry from the presbytery said she would not describe her as “a mad woman nor a homeless person, she just preferred to be here.”

In fact, Henry had a home; one that she returned to ever so often, though it was never long before she was back on the streets. She was also a mother. Her son, Kenrick Henry, was himself brutally murdered when a man attacked him with a cutlass and chopped him to death on the Seawalls two years ago. While his mother was on the streets for many years, people in the area said he took food for her and they would talk and sometimes she would go home for a few days or weeks. But she always came back.
One of the woman’s nine grand children, Marsha Sergeant told Stabroek News that she never really knew her grandmother. “But since I know myself she was always like that living on the street,” she said. The woman said she and her brothers did not have a close relationship with their father, probably owing to the fact that they had different mothers between them. Not surprisingly, she did not know her grandmother well either.

But after their father died, Sergeant explained, they became closer to their grandmother. Although she and her brothers all live overseas they left a relative in their father’s house so that their grandmother would always have a place to go. “She would only spend a night or two and she would come back on the street. Week before the last she stayed at home for three days but she came back on the street,” the young woman said.

Kenrick Henry

Sergeant related that the longest Henry remained at home was when her son married a woman who took care of her. “My father and her did not have that close relationship but he would see her and when he marry, his wife took care of granny. She was at home for two years but then he and the woman separate and granny was back on the streets,” the woman said.
Sergeant said Henry went to her son’s funeral and lamented that she did not even know her grandchildren. Afterward, Henry went back to the streets.

Sergeant said she did not know how her grandmother ended up on the street as she and her father never discussed the issue since they were not very close. “I have heard things but they were just rumours…” she said. What she does know is that her grandmother was once a brilliant seamstress and she owned a building in downtown Georgetown, but lost ownership owing to her mental status.

With tears in her eyes at this point, she said it is unfortunate that her grandmother died in such a brutal manner. She said what is even more unfortunate is that her father’s father was also murdered. Sergeant was still upset that no one has been charged for the murder and from all indications she felt the same will happen in her grandmother’s death.
Indeed, Henry’s death was the latest in a succession of homeless people who have met violent ends in Georgetown. She was found with a gaping hole at the back of her head. She was at least the fourth person living on the street to have been killed in just over a month.

Two men were discovered bludgeoned to death; one in Bourda Market and the other at a doctor’s office on North Road. Another woman was killed in circumstances very similar to Henry. Her twin sister, said to be of unsound mind and violent, was reportedly held by the police. It is unclear if she is still in custody.

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28 Responses to “Bludgeoned Brickdam bag lady laid to rest”

ALL_GT
on October 11th, 2008 7:46 am

There is a possible serial killer on the loose. Mr. Commissioner take note.

[Reply to this]
guy123
In reply to the above comment on October 11th, 2008 9:46 am:
That can be the case,but lets hope the police can find something,these people are human beings too.

[Reply to this]
SOESDYKE
In reply to the above comment on October 11th, 2008 5:36 pm:
I think it is a serial killer on the loose. May her soul R.I.P

[Reply to this]
Reverend Gary
In reply to the above comment on October 12th, 2008 8:50 am:
I agree with you gt this sound like a serial killer .but then again this might be the Phamtons surfacing again who knows .

[Reply to this]
anand
In reply to the above comment on October 12th, 2008 4:46 pm:
get real reverend.fanthoms?
talkout
on October 11th, 2008 7:58 am

sad to hear this and i can’t believe that the police station is so close and no one saw what happen ; aren’t the police suppose to be patroling the city at nites what happen to the impact crew ? come on now too much of these senseless crimes. please some one in government do something.

[Reply to this]
sheik
on October 11th, 2008 9:10 am

This grandmother had offsprings who were aware of her situation.How much attention did they give.Far too often we turn our backs on our own and do not realise it’s possible we can traverse that road one day.
Overseas, overseas do not forget your roots.

[Reply to this]
Arnold
on October 11th, 2008 9:21 am

These people must be taken off the streets and put in a govt funded home. She got a well deserved funeral.

[Reply to this]
Caesar
In reply to the above comment on October 11th, 2008 8:11 pm:
The first part of the statement made could be addressed .But the second part,’Well deserved funeral” is a mystery comment.Who will say they had a well deserved funeral when they are dead?Instead of wasting time and money on people when they are dead,give them that reward when they are alive.

[Reply to this]
Arnold
In reply to the above comment on October 12th, 2008 5:17 pm:
Sr Caesar
Being a destitute she could of been trown in the LeRepentier Mortuary, and after buried in some Mass Grave. You get me.

speedy
In reply to the above comment on October 13th, 2008 9:56 am:
Arnold is right again! It is the least we could have done for her under the circumstances! It seems though that we have a serial killer on the loose in GT who feels the need to rid the city streets of its homeless population. That is how lawless and out of control and dehumanised we have become! We are now killing old, defenceless people and no one seems to care two hoots about the fact that we will all get there some day. And then what?!? We will expect people to care for us.But will we deserve it. I don’t think so!

[Reply to this]
Q.S.
on October 11th, 2008 9:26 am

I agree with you ALL_GT but with all the crap goin on in the police force, this will just be another unsolved murder mystery.

[Reply to this]
simone
on October 11th, 2008 10:31 am

Serial killer.

[Reply to this]
quibian
on October 11th, 2008 10:37 am

i also think there is a serial killer on the loose. what about that homeless man that was bludgeoning other homeless people to death?

[Reply to this]
tiger
on October 11th, 2008 1:23 pm

i lay the blame purely on the govt,s head which is resposible for the homeless and less fortunate guyanese people, it’s a shame that this govt has made no provisions for the less fortunate in the budget or even attempt to build a place where they could rest their weary heads.

[Reply to this]
anand
In reply to the above comment on October 12th, 2008 4:51 pm:
What you mean the Government is to be blamed.This lady was not homeless.She had a home to go to but chose to spend her time on the streets.
It is a very sad thing to have happened to her and I pray she finds a resting place.If any blame is warranted, then it should clearly be on the relatives who it seem turn their backs on her.
I hope that they catch the monster or monsters who did this cowardly and savage thing to a defenseless old woman.

[Reply to this]
John Smith
on October 11th, 2008 2:21 pm

There is a sick minded person roaming out there who must be found before he/she put his/her hands on another destitute. Our streets are poluted with these unfortunate people and they will become fair game. Something really should be done about the detitute/ mentally ill.

[Reply to this]
Wiffy
on October 11th, 2008 3:03 pm

This is so sad!

[Reply to this]
Fulano de Tal
on October 11th, 2008 5:15 pm

What a pity the “HUMAN SERVICES” Ministry does not have a programme in place to take care of our homeless. I know there are homeless all over our planet but we do not have a million people here & we have 83,000 miles square (272,000km2) Cuba has less than half our land mass & has 11million inhabitants. Do we not have what it takes to make life better for our, less than a million, inhabitants or is it just bad administration all around?? Just asking

[Reply to this]
DMACK
In reply to the above comment on October 13th, 2008 11:12 am:
Cuba does not have the problem we have in Guyana, we have fear and false loyalty, next election we should demand issues that will benefit all Guyanese.

[Reply to this]
berry
on October 11th, 2008 6:48 pm

i am sorry to hear this i know the lady by seeing her whenever i passed there. these person[s] who are doing should be punished severly by the law. my heartfelt condolences to the grand children. may her soul rest in peace.

[Reply to this]
Desi
on October 11th, 2008 10:33 pm

GPF needs to assign someone to read the Stabroek News reports and blogs. Weeks ago we were saying that some serial killer is roaming around. Readers put two and two together all they had to do was follow up. Now another life is lost. The police are a complete waste of time and money and they have no shame.

[Reply to this]
bbuckman
on October 11th, 2008 11:59 pm

as much you have done it onto least amoung your brethren ,you have done it on to me.

[Reply to this]
Buxton Spice
on October 12th, 2008 4:30 pm

God bless Jenny ’s daughter-in-law for taking care of her-she stayed off of the streets for two years. It appears that all she needed was love and care. Apparently she was uncomfortable on other occasions when she stayed for shorter durations. I sincerely hope that the police solve this mystery quickly before another person is killed. Put an undercover person out there among the homeless. You, police officers/detectives, cannot sit in the station houses and solve crimes. Most times it appears that you all would like John Citizen to do your work for you!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Reply to this]
chief
on October 12th, 2008 6:16 pm

at one time there were thousands of street children on the streets in brazil and they were kind of a big problem for the government there so guess what? the police used to round up these kids and murder them by the dozens in the blackness of the night, hundreds died.

[Reply to this]
warlard 187
on October 13th, 2008 10:15 am

The police is not gonna find nobody cause its a major crime . Let it was a little weed involve that suspect was consider found . Prayers for the victim and family . Sorry for ur lost.

[Reply to this]
Ghetto Youth
on October 16th, 2008 9:42 am

I know that Genevive, as she was so often called was placed in several homes by the priest from the presbetary. She only stayed a few day and would venture out back on the streets.
Was at Mass on the sunday when it was announced that she met her demise in such tragic circumstances.
My sincerest condolances to the family.
My she rest in peace.

[Reply to this]
UltimateW
on October 16th, 2008 1:33 pm

Seems like insanity is becoming the number one disease in Guyana .
Only insane people will go out and bash people to death !
Regardless of what you call them , serial killer or psychos, They all suffer from some form of insanity.

The authorities should consider street cameras , especially in desolate areas of the city. It’s a crisis now , extreme measures must be taken to combat these evil in the societies

[Reply to this]