Man remanded for 2012 murder of fmr. GEA employee

Forty-six-year-old Ryvan Francis was remanded to prison on Monday after he was charged with the 2012 murder of Levoy Taljit, a former Guyana Energy Agency (GEA) employee.

Francis appeared at the Diamond Magistrate’s Court before Magistrate Wanda Fortune.

Police said he was not required to plead to the indictable charge. The next court date is set for October 9th, 2024 for the disclosure of statements.

Francis was arrested on September 17, 2024, more than a decade after Taljit disappeared without a trace.

The man, who resided at Soesdyke, East Bank Demerara, was named as the prime suspect in the crime. The arrest was made by ranks from the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) Cold Case Unit, who were acting on information received.

In April 2022, police issued a wanted bulletin for his arrest.

Based on information so far, the News Room was reliably informed that a woman related to investigators that she last saw Francis with Taljit on the night of December 23, 2012.

A few days later, the woman reportedly claimed that she found out that Taljit was missing via social media.

So, she said she asked Francis about Taljit and he allegedly confessed to killing him.

In fact, the woman said he allegedly stated that he strangled Taljit in his car and buried his body. His body has never been found.

Taljit, a GEA field manager at the time, disappeared on December 23, 2012. It is believed he was killed between December 23 – 24, 2012.

Taljit of Anira Street, Queenstown was last seen driving his Toyota Raum motor vehicle, PNN 8315. The car was subsequently found vandalised days after along the Linden-Soesdyke Highway.