By Fareeza Haniff
The owner of the car (PAB 2552) that struck down 50-year-old Reonol Williams on the Enmore Public Road, East Coast Demerara, has confessed to dumping his body in a trench at Coldingen, ECD.
Crime Chief Wendell Blanhum told the News Room that the suspect provided all the details to investigators and then led them to the location on Tuesday where Williams’ body was recovered.
The News Room understands that the suspect has since identified himself as Daniel Melbourne of Ann’s Grove, ECD.
According to the Crime Chief, the suspect told police that after he struck down Williams just after midnight on May 22, he was on his way to the hospital with him in the car when he noticed he became motionless.
As a result, he stopped his vehicle at a bridge in Coldingen and dumped the body into the trench, after which he abandoned his car, took a taxi and went home.
Upon arriving home, Melbourne reportedly told his mother that his vehicle was missing and he instructed her to report it to the police.
According to the Crime Chief, the suspect also admitted that the initial information he provided to the police about him being in the interior at the time of the accident was false.
The suspect’s car was found without license plates at the back of Haslington on May 23 with traces of blood inside. Melbourne was initially arrested by the police but was released on station bail while Williams’ family continued to search for him for two weeks.
It was only after the family spoke out and the story gained media attention that the case was handed over to the Major Crimes Department and Melbourne was re-arrested on Tuesday.
Within hours of his arrest, he led detectives to where the body was dumped.
On May 22, Williams called ‘Ram’ left his Enmore home to drop his younger sister in Georgetown.
He was accompanied by a friend, 22-year-old Davis Peters; while they were returning home just after midnight, Williams was struck down and as the driver promised to take him to the hospital, Davis ran home to Williams’ house to inform the family of what happened.
The family showed up at the Georgetown Public Hospital, but Williams was not there; checks at other hospitals also proved futile.
Williams was described as a hardworking and jovial person. He was the father of two girls and was employed as a labourer at Navin and Sons Construction.
