Canje woman found dead at home, sisters suspect foul play

A Canje woman was discovered dead in her home on Tuesday and relatives alleged that she succumbed to injuries inflicted by her husband, an accusation the man has denied.

Patricia Beepat

Patricia Beepat called ‘Patsy’, 54, of Canefield Settlement; East Canje was discovered dead in a chair in the bottom flat of her home on Tuesday. Beepat’s sister, Norma Beharry told this newspaper that after receiving a telephone call from a neighbour, an older sister instructed her to go the Beepat’s house, a short distance away to find out why the yard was crowded with people.

Before reaching the house, she said, she was told that Beepat’s husband had hit her sister on the head with a bottle, resulting in her death. Beharry recalled that upon arrival at the scene she observed Beepat lying motionless in a chair on the lower flat of the two-storey building, which housed the kitchen. “There was blood on her lower lip. I observed that her finger tips were darkened”, said Beharry.

She said that a Neighbourhood Policing Group member visited the scene and advised that the body be taken to the New Amsterdam hospital. According to Beharry, while helping to place the body in a vehicle, she observed that her sister’s left eye was swollen, around the eyes were darkened and there were bruises on the face. “My sister skin full of marks.

She used to get licks steady. I used to ask she how long she will continue in it. Sometimes she would tell us and sometimes she would lie”, Beharry said.

Another sibling, Anne called Debbie related that her sister’s body bore marks on the thigh which were allegedly inflicted by her husband a few weeks ago. Another sister, Yvonne, said that her sister “lived in abuse.”

Meantime, when this reporter visited Beepat’s home yesterday, her husband Chandi Persaud Beepat, called Henry said his wife’s sisters believe that he killed her but he denied that this was so.

The 52-year-old Com-munity Policing Group member said that on returning home from his place of employment at the Rose Hall Sugar Estate on Tuesday, he observed that the home was untidy while no food was prepared for him. His wife was lying in a chair ap-parently asleep.

“She eyes de half open. Me nah nak she. Me lef and go to ‘Ringo’ shop to tek a bottle rum, but he tell me how mi wife went deh earlier and tek wan big bottle. Me tek wan an go home. She bin deh in the chair.

Me lef she an go upstairs. Me wake up bout five o clock the next marning [Tuesday].”

He said when he went downstairs he found her motionless and summoned a neighbour. A report was made to the Reliance Police Station and the body taken to a funeral home.

“I does knack she one, one time, but me na knack she that day… she does drink the rum and fall down and knack she self”, the man, who appeared to have been under the influence of alcohol, said. He and Beepat were married for 20 years.

An autopsy is expected to be done today.