Autopsies were yesterday done on the bodies of three Brazilian miners who were working in Region 7 and were robbed and murdered on December 28.
A release from the police said that a Post-Mortem Examination was yesterday performed on the body of Brazilian national Antonio Silva by Pathologist Dr. Nehaul Singh who gave the cause of death as a gunshot injury to the back.
Silva’s body was found along the Waimu Trail, Cuyuni, on December 28, 2013.
Post-Mortem Examina-tions were also performed by Dr. Singh on the bodies of Brazilian Nationals Joao Veloza Nascimento and his wife Eoldene Fernandes Dos Santos. They had left their mining camp at Puruni bound for Bartica to purchase spares for their mining machinery. Reports are that the two left their camp with a substantial amount of raw gold to sell at Bartica and purchase the spare parts needed. They never made it alive although they were seen at intervals on the trail to Bartica.
Nascimento’s cause of death was given as blunt trauma to the head while that of his wife was undetermined.
Their bodies were found at Sandhills, Cuyuni, on December 28, 2013.
Investigations into both matters are continuing.
Secretary of the Guyana/Brazil Association Antonio Szala told Stabroek News that it appears the couple were robbed and killed. He said that there are now calls for the area to be better patrolled as more Brazilians are being robbed and killed.
Recently there has been a spike in murders in the interior. On Friday last, the body of miner Clement David of Baramita, North West District was found with marks of violence to the head on the roadway at Baramita. In previous weeks, three other miners were killed in a similar manner.
Two Sundays ago, the decomposed body of miner Andre Hercules was found with his feet and hands bound at Long Island, Middle Mazaruni, Region 7. The week before, miner Michael Morris of Cummings Park, Sophia was beaten to death at West Park Backdam, Cuyuni. Another miner, Terrence France, was found with chop wounds in a mining pit at 8 Miles Backdam, Port Kaituma on December 1.
