Teen boys who went into Berbice backdam for coconuts hacked to death

Two young men were discovered dead in the Cotton Tree backdam, West Coast Berbice on Sunday afternoon.

They have been identified as Isaiah and Joel Henry, ages 16 and 19, of Number 3 Village, West Coast Berbice. They were last seen alive on Saturday when they left to go into the backdam to pick coconuts.

The young men were discovered with chop wounds about their bodies, including to their faces.

As news spread of the gruesome murders, villagers came out in their numbers to express their disbelief.

Isaiah’s father Gladstone Henry and other relatives launched a search for him and his cousin when they did not return home on Saturday afternoon.

The father said when they went to search they found a bag of peeled coconuts next to the makeshift rod which his son would use to peel coconuts. To him, this indicated his son was in the vicinity, but there were no signs of him or his cousin.

A wider and larger party joined in the search efforts on Sunday when they discovered the battered remains of the young men.

“They chopped him up cruel; there was an X on his face. His cousin was chopped several times and his entire chest was open. This wasn’t normal. We want justice for these boys”.

The bodies were brought out from the backdam at around 18:30h on Sunday. A number of villagers and relatives who gathered at the dam were inconsolable as they wailed that the young men did not deserve such tragic deaths.

The Police are currently investigating the murders.