Murdered teen in Triumph cemetery…Police now detain three family members

May 08, 2018 News

Ranella Benfield

There has been a dramatic twist to the investigation into the gruesome murder of Ranella Benfield, the 18-year-old receptionist who was found in a cemetery at Triumph, East Coast Demerara (ECD) in December.
Her face was bashed in and the skin ripped from it.
On Sunday the police detained three members of the teen’s household, Benfield’s mother, father, and older sister, in what they say is a necessary move, in furtherance of their investigation.
Benfield, of Lot 99 Canterbury Walk, Beterverwagting, ECD, was found lying on her back with her hands on her stomach. The flesh on her face was exposed.
Investigators believe that Benfield might have been struck on the head with a heavy object. The discovery led them to comb the scene, looking for sharp objects which could have been used to disfigure her face.
Ranks at that time examined different theories, even suggesting that her face might have been damaged by animals. But one investigator commented, “It’s hard to think some animal just destroyed her face and no other part of her body.”
Benfield, who was employed at Qualfon, was clad in a white jersey and blue jeans, which was pulled down to her knees, exposing her white underwear.

The location where the victim’s body was found.

At the time of the discovery one source even suggested, “Her underwear was intact, just her jeans pulled down a little. It could be she was raped and the individual put back her underwear or it could be the individual did not get a chance to rape her.”
The post mortem thereafter did confirm that Benfield sustained blows with a blunt object. It also revealed that she was not sexually assaulted.
Benfield’s boyfriend was among five of her male friends who were taken into police custody after providing ranks with conflicting information.
Kaieteur News at that time was informed that the teen was last seen around 18:00 hrs the Saturday by one of her colleagues. It is suspected that she might have been killed the same night, since persons in the area reportedly heard screams in the vicinity of the cemetery.
At the time of the gruesome discovery there was no shortage of speculation and theories, none of which helped the police investigation. Many came from family members.
In light of her family members’ arrest, which police claim is as a result of new evidence, the speculations and theories have once again begun. A number of individuals close to the family have been giving police information which they did not have before.

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