Deaths at Marriott: Test confirms cyanide

Preliminary analysis of the ‘whitish hard’ substance found in the back seat of the vehicle where two friends were found dead last week has confirmed the presence of cyanide, the Ministry of Home Affairs revealed on Friday evening.

The samples removed from the stomachs of the young men will now be sent overseas to confirm whether in fact they indeed ingested the lethal substance, the Home Affairs Ministry further noted.

The motionless bodies of 25-year-old Paishnarine ‘Richie’ Hansraj and 34-year-old Justin Teixeira were found in the wee hours of April 23 inside Teixeira’s car at the parking lot of the Marriott Hotel in Kingston, Georgetown.

Both men were found inside the front seat by an employee of the hotel while a “white hard substance” was also found in the back seat of the car.

Autopsies conducted on Monday last by government pathologist Dr. Nehaul Singh were inconclusive and the “white hard substance” has since tested negative for narcotics.