Community Officer remanded for murder of Rupununi tour guide

Ken Faria, a 49-year-old Community Relations Officer of Culvert City, Central Rupununi, Region Nine was charged with the murder of Leon Baird.

Faria appeared on Wednesday at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court before Magistrate Faith McGusty, where he was not required to plead and was remanded to prison.

The matter was adjourned to March 31, 2026.

Baird, a popular tour guide, disappeared on the morning of Friday, January 23, after leaving a ranch to search for cattle. The following day, a worker discovered his partially burned remains inside a torched vehicle in the savannah.

Police later confirmed that Baird’s body was found in a burnt vehicle near Wichabai Ranch along the eastern bank of the Rupununi River. A post-mortem examination revealed that he died from burns and was alive before the fire started. DNA samples were also taken as part of the identification process.

During follow-up searches in the area, law enforcement officers discovered the remains of two cattle believed to have been shot, along with a knife and spent shotgun shells. Investigators suspect Baird may have encountered individuals involved in cattle rustling shortly before his death.

Relatives have said Baird had previously been threatened by men he met while working in the savannah near Wichabai Ranch, where he was employed. According to family members, those encounters were linked to cattle theft- a longstanding problem affecting communities in the region.