Two weeks after burial, body exhumed for identification and then immediately re-buried

The family of 35-year-old Wazim Ray Ramjattan, whose body was mistakenly identified by another family and buried two weeks ago, was able to get the body exhumed on Thursday. The exhumation was supervised by government pathologist, Dr Nehaul Singh, at a cemetery at Vergenoegen, East Bank Essequibo.

Relatives were able to positively identify the body as Ramjattan because of tattoos on his chest, arms and feet. His brother-in-law, Anthony Singh, told the News Room, that the body was immediately reburied once the identification was done.

Singh said the family is now at ease after weeks of trying to locate Ramjattan’s body.

Ramjattan died from COVID-19 while at the Georgetown Public Hospital on March 29, 2021.

However, two weeks later when the family was finally able to go identify the body at the Memorial Gardens Funeral Home at La Repentir, Georgetown, they were shocked to find out his body had already been removed and buried.

An investigation then revealed that the body in the mortuary they were told is their relative was actually that of 44-year-old Inteaaz Umar of Vergenoegen, East Bank Essequibo (Region Three), who also passed away from COVID-19 on April 03, 2021.

The News Room understands that Umar’s relatives wrongfully identified Ramjattan’s body as his [Umar] and subsequently buried him on April 04.