Family pleading police to return body after Trinidadian man killed in Guyana

After a 28-year-old Trinidadian was found dead on a hammock in Guyana, his family is pleading with the authorities to hand over his body for last rites in his home country.

Alan Podmore was found dead on Monday in a hammock at Armadale Village, Bush lot, West Coast Berbice. His mother Samantha Podmore

is urging to get her son's body so that he can be laid to rest in his country.

The man, who was also a labourer, lived with his wife, 4-year-old son, and his father-in-law in Guyana.

According to Police Headquarters, the man's wife told police he left him on Sunday at around 08:00 hours and went to work. She also told cops that she last spoke to Alan on Sunday via a video call at around 09:00 hours.

She further told detectives that after Alan failed to return home on Sunday night, she retired to bed at around 20:30 hours, along with her son.

The next morning (Monday), when she woke up, she related that at about 08:00 hours, she found Alan lying motionless in the hammock under the shed, with a piece of the hammock's cloth wrapped around his neck.

This led police to believe that the man died sometime between 09:00 hours on Sunday, June 12, and 08:00 hours on Monday, June 13.

Police also said that when they visited the location where the dead body was investigated, and an imprint was discovered under his neck, supposed to be driven by the piece of cloth. Besides this, no other effects of brutality were seen on the uncovered parts of his body.

Alan's hands were also swabbed, and nail clippings were taken for DNA purposes, and then his body was taken to the Fort Wellington Hospital, where an official pronouncement of death was given.

Subsequently, an autopsy was conducted on his body by state pathologist Dr Vivekanand Brigemohan who gave the cause of death as asphyxiation and hanging.

Meanwhile, the now-dead man's mother said that he came to Guyana a few years ago and worked as a 'Race Horse Jockey'. She said that her son later met a Guyanese woman, and together they have a 4-year-old son.

Alan's mother said that the couple's relationship was not on very good terms, and he had planned to come to Trinidad on June 28.

"After much calling around and information gathered from social media, I learned that Alan was found dead lying in a hammock, and it was speculated that he committed suicide," said the victim's wife.

According to the grieving mother, she received a text Monday informing her of her son's death.

She continued to state that her relatives then contacted a Police Commander to get some clarity on what exactly had happened to Alan.

Based on the information the woman gathered, her son was found lying in an almost crouched position in the hammock and not hanging from any rope or line.

She also said that there were no visible marks around her son's neck and questioned why her son would kill himself when he had already planned to go back home to Trinidad and Tobago on June 28, 2022.