A 39-year-old stevedore was found dead Christmas morning on the Annandale Railway Embankment near to his motor bike which was jutting out of a pile of sand.
The police have indicated that he was an accident victim but his relatives are not convinced and believe that foul play was involved. Dead is Christopher Edwards of Lot 42 Golden Grove, ECD. The father of six and employee of John Fernandes Limited was last seen alive on Christmas Eve when a friend was trying to catch up with him as he sped along the East Coast Highway.
Stabroek News was unable to contact the Police Public Relations office for a comment on the discovery of the man’s body.
When this newspaper spoke to his wife, Melissa, the woman was still in shock over the incident. She said that she didn’t get to enjoy Christmas Day since she was in Georgetown all day in the rain trying to find her husband.
According to Melissa, her husband called her around 10 pm on Christmas Eve night to say that he was still at work. She said that after he failed to come home that night she continuously called his cell phone but kept getting his voice mail.
Worried, she said early Christmas morning in the heavy downpour she headed to Georgetown in the hope of finding him. She was however unsuccessful and returned home. She also called his boss who informed her that Edwards had knocked off from work since 4 pm on Christmas Eve and she then concluded that he might have been drinking somewhere when he called her.
Sometime after 5 am the next day, Melissa said that she received a call from the Vigilance Police Station informing her of her husband’s death.
“When I answer de phone de person ask who is me and I tell them that I is Christopher’s wife. The person said that how they find he body at Annandale Christmas morning around 4”, she said trying to maintain her composure.
The woman added that ranks later explained to her that her husband’s phone battery was dead so they had to take out the chip and put it in their cell phone.
Melissa then called her other relatives who were working nearby and together they made their way to the Vigilance Police Station. She told this newspaper that when she saw her husband’s motor cycle at the station the right handle was twisted, the front light was broken and there were several scratches on the front.
Melissa said that at the station the police made no attempt to hand over her husband’s wallet which had $150,000 as far as she knew, the keys to the cycle or a bunch of keys that he always carried with him but showed them his work badge and cellular phone.
At the parlour she said her husband had what appeared to be a long chop on his head and a smaller one on his wrist.
The woman said that there is some confusion as to how her husband died since some ranks told her that it was an accident and others said that it didn’t look that way.
She however said her husband had no bruises on his body to indicate that he was involved in an accident and the damage to his bike was not consistent with that either. She said that people have since told her that her husband was seen with the huge sum of money and she was of the opinion that he was attacked for it.
Melissa said that what makes the circumstances under which her husband died even more suspicious is the fact that there were inconsistencies at the scene. She said that the places where her husband’s body, his cycle, pieces of the cycle and blood stains were found were not consistent with an accident.
Asked if the Railway Embankment was his usual route, Melissa replied in the negative adding that he might having taken that route because his motor cycle papers were not in order. She said that he was heading home when he died.
Meanwhile persons living close to the scene told this newspaper that they did not hear any collision during the course of the night and only learnt of the man’s death on Christmas Day.
One resident recounted that around 2 that morning she heard voices and dogs barking and when she looked out she saw a motor cycle stuck in a pile of sand at the side of the road and a helmet a few feet away.
The woman could not recall seeing anyone lying on the roadway pointing out that although there were no street lights, the area was lit by moonlight.
The woman said that because of the area she thought nothing more of it and just returned to bed. The resident added that when she woke up later, she saw blood on the road and later learnt that someone had died.
The woman said that there are two piles of sand in that area, one directly on the road and the other very close to road and opined that they are traffic hazards particularly to motorists who are not familiar with the area. Edwards’ cycle was stuck in the pile at the side of the road.
When Stabroek News spoke to the owner of that sand pile the man said that it is not in a dangerous position pointing to the other pile farther up the road.
He informed this newspaper that the sand was for making concrete blocks but because of the rainy weather the workers were unable to use it.
The man said that he didn’t hear any collision late Christmas Eve night or early the next morning adding that during that period the rain was falling heavily. He said that when he woke up he saw police in front of his home and he was informed of the discovery.
Edwards leaves to mourn his wife, six children between the ages of three months and 11 years and many relatives and friends. His post-mortem examination will be conducted tomorrow.
