Murder of mother/son: Four persons being questioned

Four persons are being questioned in relation to the brutal murder of a mother and her young son whose bodies were found on Wednesday afternoon at their Mangrove Street, Rose Hall, Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne) house.

Regional Commander for Region Six, Superintendent Shivpersaud Bacchus confirmed that three of the woman’s relatives and a neighbour have been detained.

Dead are Melisa Arokium, who is in her 30s, and her eight-year-old son Anthony Arokium. The single mother and her son were found with several chop wounds on their bodies in their home between 12:00 hrs and 13:00 hrs by a relative on Wednesday.

The senior cop said that the Police responded to the report at about 13:30 hrs.

“When we arrived on the scene, the Station Sergeant, along with a relative discovered the body lying motionless in a pool of blood.

“We do have some persons of interest,” the Commander said.

No weapon was recovered but the Police Commander said trails of blood were observed in the vicinity of the crime scene but investigators are yet to determine whether it is human or animal blood.

A relative of the woman, Leon Moore, 52, also spoke with reporters at the scene.

“They said she get chop on her body and she neck and the son like he get jook up.

“They have some foul play because she don’t make problem with people so. Every morning the girl does take her son to lesson and me and she does talk when she pass to go out. She nah make problem with people so [I don’t know] how that happen,” Moore said.

He added that the last time he saw Melisa was on Tuesday and recalled that she seemed happy.

He explained that Melisa owned a small grocery shop at the premises; she lived alone with her son while her brother lived in the same yard. The brother claimed he left early on Wednesday to cut cane and returned home at about 11:00 hrs.

Melisa’s mother also lives at the premises but she is currently in the interior where she manages a dredge.

“She always ah smile. Me does tell she like thing don’t bother you…She and she son real good. She like she son bad,” Moore told reporters.