Mark Kirpaul, the 14-year-old Better Hope boy who died after consuming a poisonous substance on Saturday was laid to rest yesterday even as many unanswered questions continue to linger in the minds of his relatives.
Kirpaul was buried in the Cummings Lodge Cemetery following a short viewing at the Trooper Taxi Service base where he assisted his uncle. The funeral service was held at his Second Street home. The teen’s relatives are maintaining that the circumstances surrounding his death are suspicious and said yesterday that their next step is to seek an audience with the police and other authorities to get to the bottom of the matter.
Kirpaul was discovered by an aunt on Saturday morning lying motionless near a pipe in the yard. He later started crying out for pains in the stomach and belly before repeatedly vomiting. The lad denied that he had drunk poison but he repeatedly asked for water. He died several hours later in the Accident and Emergency Unit of the Georgetown Hospital.
It was only after his death that relatives became aware that the teen was receiving death threats on his cellular phone and on a phone at his uncle’s taxi base. They also discovered that one of Kirpaul’s classmates, a 13-year-old girl was also being threatened following the theft of their class teacher’s $150,000 cell phone.
From the reports they received the teacher was away from school for some time and when she returned, they learnt that her phone was stolen. In a bid to help the two teens called the phone but got no answer. It was then that they started receiving threatening calls on their phones from a male caller who identified himself as Charlie. It is still unclear how `Charlie’ was able to obtain the girl’s house number.
Last Friday the family said they were informed that the caller told the girl’s father that he wanted to kidnap her and wanted her heart, soul and life. The girl’s mother also told them that Kirpaul had tearfully said that he too was being threatened. The relatives said they were surprised when they found out that there were reports of the threats at the Sparendaam Police Station.
A relative also told Stabroek News that the head mistress, teachers and students came to the funeral service to show their support. To her surprise she said, the teacher did not make an appearance. Relatives had told this newspaper that the teacher and Kirpaul were very close and she would take him to lunch many days or collect him from home to take him to school. This closeness was observed about three months ago. They said too that the teacher visited the home last week saying that she wanted to take the lad to the station to make a report about her stolen phone. She took him to the station without the company of his relatives.
The relative said that she is deeply saddened by the teacher’s behaviour, in the light of her closeness to the teen. She said the teacher should have paid her respects despite the comments about the situation. It is still unclear whether the teen ingested the poison voluntarily as no suspicious container has been found.
A photograph of Kirpaul and the female teacher warmly embracing was discovered hidden among his clothing and this has caused relatives to question the nature of their relationship. The relative said now that the teen has been laid to rest the family will contact the police and education officials to discuss their suspicions. When this newspaper attempted to speak to the teacher she declined.
Meanwhile, a post-mortem examination conducted on the teen’s remains showed that he died following consumption of a poisonous substance. Samples were taken from the body to carry out further tests to identify the poison. Relatives were told that the results should be available in about two weeks.
Kirpaul was described as a pleasant but quiet child who did not confide in his relatives. He leaves to mourn his parents Anthony and Asha and five siblings.
