Police recover body days after Mazaruni River mishap

Days after he went missing after the boat he was travelling in collided with a rock and sank in the Mazaruni River, the body of Ray Payne was recovered on Friday.

Police Commander of Region Seven, Dion Moore told the News Room that Payne’s body was found in the Mazaruni River on Friday morning. The body will be transported to Georgetown for a post-mortem examination which is scheduled to be conducted in the new week.

Police Headquarters reported that the incident occurred at about 20:40 hrs on August 15 at a waterfall in the Mazaruni River, Region Seven.

At the time, Payne, also known as ‘Rasta’ was among three persons who were on the boat.

The Police said that Shojhi Roberts, a 32-year-old ranger of Isseneru Village, Middle Mazaruni, borrowed the village’s wooden Balahoo boat and left with Payne and another man, identified as Mark Benn.

They were headed to Apaiqua Landing. Following the accident, Roberts and Benn swam to shore but Payne was nowhere to be found. As the search was ongoing, Payne’s sister, Petranella Payne, had expressed hope that he would be found alive.