Weather hampers search for Shanette Savory’s body

Five days after the Police charged a man they said had confessed to the murder of Shanette Savory, the remains of the woman are yet to be found.

Crime Chief, Paul Williams Monday morning said that the weather hampered the search for Savory’s body. He said Davendra Ramdial, who was charged last Thursday, had told them of a general area on the East Bank of Demerara where he buried Savoury.

“I want them to find her body,” a tearful Dhanrajie Murray, the mother of Savory told reporters at the Police Training Centre, Eve Leary during a press conference.

The mother said Ramdial had begged for forgiveness and she was prepared to grant that forgiveness.

The Crime Chief referred to the case as being “solved” and he acknowledged corrupt officers may have caused the lag, saying “only heaven knows” what would have happened if a proper investigation was done initially.

It took the Police, under the Crime Chief’s direction of the Major Crimes Unit, two weeks to arrest and extract a confession from Ramdial.

Dianne Madray, an activist who works on seeking justice in cases of domestic violence, said had the Police acted professionally, the case would have been solved earlier.

“Shanette Savory’s case was prevented by persons who intentionally caused this case to lag for almost two years due to their corrupt behaviour and lackadaisical attitude,” Madray told reporters at a press conference she shared with the Crime Chief and the team of officers working on the case.

Savory disappeared sometime around the end of August 2016. She was at her uncle’s birthday party on August 28. The landlord for the Prospect, East Bank Demerara apartment she was living at, reported her being at home two days after that party.

At the time of her disappearance, Savory worked at a factory making toilet tissue. Her daughter, who is now 18 years old, lives overseas. Savory was married but was separated from her husband.

It is alleged that she shared a relationship with the man who has now confessed to her murder.

“This suspect went unnoticed despite the family’s plea and statements that this individual should have been a person of interest since 2016,” said Madray.

The Crime Chief said they are seeking to question Patrick Kissoon, called Pato, and Ritesha Rahaman, in connection with the disappearance of Savory. Police had issued a wanted bulletin for the two in January 2017.