‘Distraught’ teen girl lied about kidnapping; confessed to injuring self

An 18-year-old girl who claimed that she was abducted and abused on Monday, has now confessed that she lied to her parents and the police about what really transpired when she left her East Bank Demerara house, according to the Guyana Police Force.

The young lady was found alive with her hair cut off and bruises and burns about her body on Tuesday at the Kitty seawalls in Georgetown; she told her parents that someone put a black bag over her head and took her away.

But a statement from Police Headquarters revealed that the teenager on Wednesday admitted to investigators at the Criminal Investigations Department, Eve Leary that she has been suffering from depression for the past five years and inflicted the injuries to herself while at a friend’s house at Jimbo Bridge, Grove, EBD.

“Afterwards, she gave a statement where she stated that about five years now she recognized that she suffered from depression and she would normally self inflict wounds on her body as a way of coping,” the police report noted.

According to the young lady, on Monday at around 08:00hrs she contacted one of her friends and asked if she has a place for her to stay for a few days “too cool her head because she was feeling fluttered and was drifting further into depression.”

The friend agreed to accommodate her. According to young lady, about at 10:00hrs on the said date, she left her home to conduct business for a relative after which she met with her friend at Main Street, Georgetown, who gave her the keys to the house and also informed her that a taxi would be waiting on her.

The teenager stated that while in the house, she was “feeling mentally and physically tired so she took her firger nail and inflicted injuries on her stomach, legs, arms, and back.”

“The following day, she took scissors, cut off her hair, and scratch her face because she was feeling the same way. She also stated that the burn marks were inflicted by her with a metal comb,” the police report detailed.

She further told investigators that she left the house in a taxi and went to the Kitty seawall with the hope that someone would see her and call her parents.

“She further stated that while on the seawall she saw a sister from the church who called her parents and took her over to Brickdam Police Station and she was interviewed and told the police the story that she was kidnapped which is false,” the police said.

Investigation into the matter is ongoing.

If you or anyone you know is feeling depressed and possibly contemplating suicide, please call the Guyana Inter-agency Suicide Helpline which operates 24 hours and is organised by the Guyana Police Force. Telephone –223-0001, 223-0009, 223-0818 Cellphone – 600-7896, 623-4444.