Hernandez post-mortem delayed

The post-mortem examination for footballer Neil Hernandez is expected to be conducted tomorrow due to a delay in the body being transported from Bartica to the city.

His family is counting the hours until the report comes out since they are not convinced he died in the manner reported. The former Fruta Conqueror’s mother, Ena Hernandez told Stabroek News on Tuesday that she is unhappy with how the police investigations have gone so far.

“So many things have been drawn to my attention since Neil died, things that I think are being overlooked. If the case is going to be investigated then it should be done thoroughly”, Hernandez said.

She recalled that it was only recently that the 27-year-old footballer and father of one had moved out from their home and gone to live with his girlfriend. Hernandez said it was very sudden and came as a surprise to her since he never spoke of ‘living home’ with her. One day she went home and he was gone.

The mother said she is in no position to dispute anything Hernandez’s former girlfriend says about his bouts of rage. But the son she remembers raising never allowed anger to get the better of him. According to her there were times when he would get upset and raise his voice but that was the extent of it.

To her suicide is drastic and very much unlike her son. The news of his death hit Hernandez hard and still has her shaken. She said her son was always into sports and had developed a love for cricket and football from an early age. Around the same time he was called to play football for Bartica she recalled that he was called for cricket as well but he chose football.

The footballer’s partially burnt body was pulled out of a two-storey home he shared with his former girlfriend at Bartica. Reports are that he set fire to the home before taking his own life.