Latest update April 18th, 2024 12:59 AM
Feb 20, 2015 News
…as police investigations lull
The relatives of Dhaniram Ramgopaul, the teenage boy who went missing and was later found dead in a creek, are still fighting for closure as their questions remain unanswered on just how the boy met his demise.
On December 28 last, the 14-year-old went missing during a family picnic along the Linden/Soesdyke Highway outside of the Splashmin’s Resort. The boy’s body was subsequently found after days of searching in the very creek his family had been picnicking beside.
Though a post mortem examination (PME) conducted by state pathologist Dr. Nehaul Singh showed the youngster had died from drowning, his family is maintaining that foul play had been involved; the Ramgopaul family believes the boy had been kidnapped and murdered.
When contacted, Crime Chief Leslie James said the police had investigated the matter and are still continuing to investigate. He said the case remains open and the police are open to taking in any new information. However, he said, he is unaware of any concerns voiced by the dead boy’s family, as he had not been in direct contact with the family or received such information from the investigating officer.
Further, shortly after Ramgopaul’s death, a number of persons had been arrested. However, these persons were eventually let go and since then, there have been no arrests in relation to Ramgopaul’s death, James said.
To date, the dead boy’s father, Kunjbeharry Ramgopaul said he is unaware of any new arrests being made since then. He also said that he does not believe enough is being done by the police to determine all of the details surrounding his son’s death. Nonetheless, he said the family is holding out hope that the police will make a breakthrough in what the family believes is a murder. He also said the police have so far been silent on the matter. He said he had been calling the police often for any information, but was always told that the investigating officer was not around. He added attempts to contact the officer directly on a cell phone had also failed.
“Since my son’s death the police haven’t been doing anything possible to find out what happened. The details just don’t add up; nobody is trying to get more details in the matter,” the man insisted. He further claimed that there had been a confession but not much was being done, if anything at all.
In the meantime, the boy’s father said the family had been finding it very difficult to cope.
In an interview with Kaieteur News, the senior Ramgopaul said the boy’s death had taken an emotional and physical effect on the family. He said both he and his wife had fallen ill and the woman was still struggling to recover. He added that up to a few days ago, he had been to see a doctor while his wife had been hospitalized a few times.
“We’re trying really hard over here to cope with this situation…you know when you have a family and we always living so close we always remember him. It’s very hard,” the father said.
He said the effects have also extended to his daughters, aged 17, 16 and 13. According to Kunjbeharry, Dhaniram’s death has affected the girls to the point where their school performances have begun to suffer. He said this was the case particularly with the 16- year-old. He explained that she had been very close to Dhaniram and had been forced to give up some of her lessons, even though she was preparing for the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) examinations.
Despite the family’s uphill battle in achieving closure, Kunjbeharry said the support of the Good Hope community had helped somewhat. He explained that persons would visit often and offer words of encouragement.
“The community really came out and supported us, even up to now when we continue to go through this difficult time,” he said.
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