Woman at Waiakabra died of hypertension – post-mortem

Police said yesterday that the 56-year-old woman who was found dead at a Waiakabra shop, Linden/Soesdyke Highway early Monday morning died as a result of hypertension.

The disclosure was made in a press release yesterday which stated that a post-mortem examination had been done by pathologist Dr. Nehaul Singh.

Joseph of Swan on the Linden/Soesdyke highway was found with her clothes disarranged and it was originally thought that she had been murdered.

Judy Joseph

Investigators have so far been unable to explain how she ended up back at the shop hours after she was seen leaving.

Owner of the shop Felicia Pierre had told Stabroek News that the woman spent several hours there on Sunday having drinks to celebrate Mother’s Day. Just after 11 pm, she recalled, the woman’s relatives who were part of the celebration indicated that they were leaving but Joseph remained. At that time, she said the woman was fast asleep but she woke her up.

She recalled that the woman woke up and assured her that she was fit enough to make the walk to her Swan (located on the Linden/ Soesdyke Highway) home unaided. As she walked out to the roadway, Pierre recalled that a man named `Joe’ started troubling the woman. She said she hollered on the man and he left on foot in the opposite direction. She then went back to her home.

The following morning when she had finished filling a bucket of water she saw something on the landing in front of her shop and when she shone her torchlight in that direction she saw it was Joseph.
She said that she began shaking the woman and called her name repeatedly but got no response.

Pierre said she did not notice any marks on the body but the woman’s pants and underwear were pulled down below her bottom.