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Mar 27, 2014 News
By Latoya Giles
The quiet community of North Ruimveldt was rocked yesterday by the early morning murder of a 75-year-old woman, who was found strangled in her Lot 3630 Christiani Street, North Ruimveldt home.
Joyce Lewis, who lived alone, was found partially nude and bound in the bedroom of her two-storey house around 08.30 hrs, by a relative who ventured into the residence after she repeatedly failed to answer either her cellular or landline phone.
Her brother who had developed a habit of calling his sister every morning, around 06:00 hours, found that this particular morning she was not answering the telephone.
This newspaper understands that the brother kept calling yesterday but got no answer.
Sensing that something was wrong, the brother contacted a niece who lives on West Demerara. The niece called another cousin who lived near to Ms. Lewis and asked her to check on her aunt. The relative then sent her son, Shane Willis, to investigate.
A still dazed-looking Willis told Kaieteur News that when he arrived at the house he saw the woman’s elderly sister at the fence. She told him to jump over since she was unable to do so, he said.
Willis said that he scaled the fence and quickly knew that something was amiss when he saw what appeared to be a large knife wrapped in a piece of cloth near the bottom flat door, which was ajar.
On entering the house, he observed that the building was ransacked and he quickly retreated. Residents contacted ranks from the North Ruimveldt Police Outpost, which is located in the same street. The police ventured into the upper flat and made the gruesome find.
Police said that marks on the victim’s neck suggested that she was strangled. Her underwear was partially removed. The premises were ransacked, indicating that robbery was the primary motive.
Detectives believe that the killers gained entry by climbing through a bay window near the verandah. Police confirmed that they found a footprint on the window ledge.
Indications are that the intruders had initially tried to enter the house via a window at the back of the lower flat, but were thwarted by grillwork. They cut the grill but still could not get into the house.
None of the neighbours recalled hearing any unusual noises or seeing anyone entering or leaving the victim’s premises.
Crime scene detectives found a large knife, which was wrapped in a rag, in Mrs. Lewis’ front yard.
Mrs. Lewis, who frequently travelled overseas, only returned to Guyana last December.
Kaieteur News understands that Lewis and a sister spoke on the phone at around 23.30 hrs on Tuesday.
The slain woman’s sister had to be comforted by several other relatives who arrived at the house after receiving news of the tragedy.
According to neighbours, Lewis has been living by herself since her husband, a former Police Inspector, passed away three years ago.
Neighbours described her as a peaceful and quiet woman. They said just a few weeks ago she hosted a number of visiting relatives from the United States. One neighbour suggested that the killers may have thought that her relatives were still in Guyana and went there to commit a robbery.
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