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2026.4.10 Strangulation of 7-year-old: Mother claims “can’t remember” committing act; murder charge soon
Twenty-six-year-old Sarah Elizabeth Shivpersaud, who suffocated her seven-year-old daughter and attempted to murder her young son at their Fyrish, Corentyne, Region Six (East Berbice–Corentyne) home on Sunday, was discharged from the Port Mourant Hospital after she attempted to take her own life.
However, as the investigation continues into the gruesome act, the woman, after her discharge, was taken back to the scene by detectives, who are now preparing their file to be sent to the Chambers of the Director of Prosecutions (DPP) for advice on the way forward. In the meantime, she will remain in custody.
Nevertheless, according to reports received, the woman claimed that she could not remember what took place on the fateful day. She is presently being psychologically evaluated.
Despite her claims, Police sources indicate that statements continue to be collected and key details verified as the probe advances.
Shivpersaud is accused of killing her daughter, Isabella Dabadial, and also attempted to strangle her son, Ethan. The incident reportedly took place at about 11:30h.
It was reported that the woman had been experiencing emotional distress after her husband left the home several days prior and refused to return. She is also said to have told investigators that she had nothing to eat on the morning of the incident and became overwhelmed.
Prior to committing the act, she reportedly posted a photo of her and the two children, seeking forgiveness for what she was about to do.
After committing the act, Shivpersaud attempted to take her own life by cutting the veins behind her ankles. She was admitted to the Port Mourant Hospital until her discharge on Thursday.
Meanwhile, little Isabella Dabadial was confirmed dead after she and her brother were rushed to the same hospital. Her younger sibling survived the ordeal.
An autopsy performed on the body of Isabella proved that she died from manual strangulation.
2026.4.9 Berbice tragedy: Mother remains hospitalised
Sarah Elizabeth Shivpersaud, the mother accused of strangling her seven-year-old daughter and attempting to kill her young son and herself, remains hospitalised.
The News Room was reliably informed that Shivpersaud was still receiving medical treatment up to Thursday. She is under Police guard.
The investigation into the matter is ongoing.
Shivpersaud reportedly told investigators that she had been experiencing emotional distress after her husband left the home several days prior and refused to return.
She said that on the morning of Sunday, April 5, after waking up and having had no food, she suffocated her daughter, Isabella. Shivpersaud also admitted that she attempted to suffocate her one-year-and-nine-month-old son, Ethan, but was unsuccessful.
A post-mortem examination later confirmed that Isabella died as a result of manual strangulation.
Following the incident, Shivpersaud reportedly attempted to take her own life but survived.
The incident has grappled the nation.
2026.4.7 Berbice tragedy: 7-Y-O girl was manually strangled to death
A post-mortem examination has found that Isabella Dabadial, the seven-year-old girl who died on Sunday, was manually strangled to death.
In a release, the Guyana Police Force said Government Pathologist Dr. Vivekanand Brijmohan performed the examination at Bailey Funeral Home, Number 4 Village, West Coast Berbice. He gave the cause of death as manual strangulation.
The body was subsequently handed over to relatives for burial.
Isabella was strangled by her mother, Sarah Elizabeth Shivpersaud.
Shivpersaud confided to investigators that she was experiencing emotional distress after her husband had left the residence several days prior and had refused to return. The woman stated that upon waking on Sunday, having had no food, she suffocated Isabella. She also admitted to having attempted to strangulate or otherwise suffocate her son, Ethan, who is one year and nine months old, but was unsuccessful.
Following the incident, Shivpersaud attempted suicide but failed.
An alarm was raised, and several individuals intervened. Shivpersaud and her children were transported to the Port Mourant Public Hospital. Isabella was pronounced dead upon arrival.
Shivpersaud was admitted, treated, and sutured; she is currently in a stable condition under police guard.
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Months after he was arrested for the illegal possession of narcotics, Rajesh Mookram was sentenced to four years imprisonment and fined $27 million after he was found guilty of the crime.
The sentenced was handed down by Magistrate Taunna Hardy at the Springlands Magistrate’s Court on Thursday, April 2.
In a statement, the Customs Anti Narcotic Unit (CANU) said that the case stemmed from a November 2025 operation during which Mookram was intercepted by its officers while riding a motorcycle at Sandaka Creek, Corentyne, Berbice.
During the operation, CANU said Mookram led officers to a location where a search uncovered two bulky salt bags containing 30 kilograms of cannabis.
A 28-year-old East Bank Berbice man was on Thursday remanded to prison after being charged with rape and attempted murder involving the mother of his child.
Christopher Ali, a seaman of Pepper Street, Edinburgh, appeared before Magistrate Michelle Matthias at the New Amsterdam Magistrate’s Court.
Ali was not required to plead to the indictable charges.
The first charge alleges that between December 1 and 31, 2024, he engaged in sexual penetration of a 15-year-old girl, Tiana Chapman. The second charge states that on February 24, 2026, at Heat Burn Village, he attempted to murder and unlawfully wounded Chapman.
Police Prosecutor Sergeant Colin Clarke objected to bail, citing the seriousness of the offences, the accused’s alleged attempt to flee the jurisdiction, and concerns for the victim’s safety.
The court heard that Chapman sustained 25 stab wounds during the February 24 attack.
Magistrate Matthias, after considering the nature of the charges, the safety of the victim, and the risk of flight, refused bail and remanded Ali to prison on both matters.
He is expected to return to court on April 16.
Chapman, who was present in court, is said to be recovering after being hospitalised in the intensive care unit following the stabbing.
Reports indicate that Ali and Chapman shared a relationship and have an 11-month-old child together.
In a separate incident, Ali was reportedly found in the Upper Berbice River on March 14, where he was beaten and chopped by unknown individuals. He later received medical treatment before being taken into police custody.
Police investigations into the circumstances surrounding the stabbing are ongoing.
Twenty-eight people have died in road accidents across the country between January 1 and March 21, 2026, with a majority of the fatal crashes linked to speeding.
Statistics provided to the News Room revealed that speeding was a factor in 18 of the fatal accidents recorded so far this year, making it the leading cause of deadly collisions.
The victims include 12 motorcyclists, eight pedestrians and six drivers, along with one car occupant and one pedal cyclist.
A total of 27 vehicles were involved in the fatal crashes, 16 of which were motorcars.
It was also disclosed that most of the fatal accidents occurred between 18:00 hrs and 23:59 hrs and that males accounted for the overwhelming majority of victims, with 23 males and five females losing their lives.
Most of the victims were between the ages of 25 and 42.
In an interview with the News Room, Traffic Chief Mahendra Singh said despite the deaths, there has been a 26 per cent decrease in the overall number of accidents nationwide for the period when compared to the same period last year.
He attributed the reduction to several measures implemented by the Guyana Police Force, including increased deployment of traffic ranks, consistent enforcement, public education campaigns, and the rollout of the Safe Road Intelligence System.
“When you look at the Safe Road Intelligence System, as that unfolds across all the regions, that will definitely play a big role. It is already playing one,” Singh said.
The Traffic Chief explained that speeding often becomes deadly when drivers fail to consider road surface conditions, weather, animals or other vehicles on the roadway.
In many cases, he said motorists lose control while attempting to brake suddenly, causing vehicles to overturn and leading to severe injuries or death.
While law enforcement will continue to strengthen its operations, Singh stressed that motorists must also take personal responsibility for their actions.
“Motorists must also play a critical role. They have to recognise that their behaviour must be altered.
“I would want to encourage the public to be more law-abiding… to be voluntarily compliant is a must,” Singh urged.
He emphasised that reducing road deaths requires a combined effort from both authorities and the public, warning that waiting until a crash occurs to change behaviour often comes at a tragic cost.
Two days after falling overboard during a fishing trip, 28-year-old Aladdin Dookie of Number 77 Housing Scheme, Corriverton, Berbice, was found dead.
Reports state that on March 21 at around 17:59 hours, Dookie, who was the captain of the boat, along with three others, was fishing near Orealla Village on the Corentyne River in Berbice.
According to the information gathered, while trying to start the engine by pulling the choke, Dookie accidentally fell overboard after leaning too far over the side of the boat. He was seen going underwater and has not resurfaced since.
In response to the tragic incident, a search party was organized to comb the area for Dookie, but he was not found.
Dookie’s wife, Amrita Singh, told the News Room that around 13:30 hours on Tuesday, she was informed that her husband had been found. She said Dookie’s body was spotted floating near Siparuta, not far from Orealla.
According to Singh, the police were notified, and they traveled to the area to retrieve the body. A postmortem examination is expected to determine the cause of death.
Singh recalled that Dookie left home on Wednesday, March 18th, and was expected to spend five days. She said the last time she spoke to her husband was on Thursday at noon, and he promised to return her call. Singh added that she tried to call him but couldn’t get through.
“Me husband wasn’t a bad person, he always provide for us. If is the last food he get, he ah make certain he wife and pickney eat and left he self without,” the grieving woman stated.
Singh further said, “seven years now me husband do fishing work and nothing like this never happen. Me glad if me husband could’ve return alive.”
She expressed that with her husband’s passing, the family’s main breadwinner, it will be difficult for her and their four children to manage in the future.
Dookie leaves to mourn his wife and their children—daughters, ages nine and one year five months; and sons, ages six and four.
A DJ accused of inciting a brutal sexual assault at Raghoo’s Bar has been committed to stand trial, while his co-accused has been freed after the court upheld a no-case submission.
Leon De Freitas, a 36-year-old DJ of Kuru Kururu, Soesdyke-Linden Highway, was on Tuesday committed by Magistrate Tameika Clarke at the Friendship Magistrate’s Court to stand trial at the next practicable sitting of the Demerara Assizes.
Meanwhile, Ryan Rajnarine, a 30-year-old office assistant of Soesdyke Back Road, was discharged after the magistrate upheld a no-case submission made on his behalf by his attorney Bernard DaSilva.
The charges stem from the July 13, 2025 incident at Raghoo’s Bar along the Soesdyke Public Road, where it was alleged that individuals at the establishment encouraged the sexual assault of a woman.
Rajnarine and De Freitas had been jointly charged with inciting Barry Sullivan to commit rape.
Sullivan, who is accused of carrying out the assault, was committed to stand trial at the High Court last December.
The case had sparked national outrage after a video of the assault circulated widely on social media, prompting a wide-ranging police investigation. Authorities had alleged that the accused were involved in the entertainment activities at the bar on the night in question and encouraged the attack while patrons looked on.
Proceedings against De Freitas will now continue before the High Court.
The Guyana Police Force has launched an investigation into the escape of a man held on suspicion of raping a child after he fled from lawful custody at Matthews Ridge in the North West District, police headquarters said on Saturday.
The suspect, identified as Randy James Smith, had been in custody in connection with the alleged rape of a child under the age of 16. Police said the investigation into the sexual offence had already been completed and Smith was expected to be formally charged before his escape.
Authorities have launched a manhunt and are taking steps to locate and recapture the suspect, the police force said in a statement.
The Guyana Police Force also appealed to the public to provide any information that could assist in Smith’s swift apprehension.
2026.1.9 Road deaths increase slightly in 2025 as speeding remains major cause
A total of 124 fatal road accidents resulting in 137 deaths have been recorded for the year 2025, marking a slight increase when compared to 2024, according to Traffic Chief Mahendra Singh.
Singh, speaking with the News Room on Friday, pointed out that while the increase may appear minimal, it remains a serious concern. In 2024, there were 117 fatal accidents resulting in 132 deaths.
“Even though the increase is small, it is still an increase, because one death or one fatal accident is one too many,” he stated.
According to the Traffic Chief speeding and driver inattentiveness continue to be the primary causes of fatal accidents. He explained that many drivers lose control of their vehicles due to excessive speed, particularly when they are unfamiliar with the roads they are using.
“As a result of speeding, drivers often lose control and collide with multiple vehicles, or their vehicles turn turtle, leading to the deaths of themselves or other road users,” Singh said.
He noted that authorities have recognised speeding as a persistent trend over time and, in response, the Safe Road Intelligence System, which includes speed cameras, is currently being rolled out nationwide.
The Traffic Chief said law enforcement agencies will continue their traffic enforcement and road safety education exercises, but stressed that meaningful change ultimately depends on drivers themselves.
“At the end of the day, personal responsibility will determine the level of discipline with which the road is used, along with voluntary compliance by drivers,” Singh said.
He added that without greater discipline and acceptance of responsibility by motorists, there will be little change in attitudes or behaviour on the country’s roads.
“If there isn’t compliance and a greater level of discipline in how the roads are used, then there would be no real change,” Singh warned.
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2026.1.7 Prison-break carnage: A Stabroek News investigation
This is the conclusion of an examination of the number of persons who died between February 23, 2002 and August 28, 2008. By Stabroek News’ count, 590 persons were killed during that period. For many years, the number of persons who died in the violence that followed the February 23rd, 2002 Camp Street jailbreak and the circumstances of their deaths have been the sources of heated disputation. As part of a public service journalism project to shed more light on that period, Stabroek News compiled from its archives a list of persons killed between February 23, 2002 and August 28, 2008.
The daring escape of five prisoners from the Camp Street Prison on February 23rd 2002 was the catalyst for one of the bloodiest periods in the country’s history resulting in hundreds of lives being lost in robberies, police officers being slaughtered and a parallel security arm springing up leading to many men being killed execution-style and with the drug trade playing a major role in key events of that period. It was during this period that Guyanese first came to learn of drug lord Roger Khan and the role he played in mobilizing fighters against the escapees in a bid to protect his narcotics turf and that of other businessmen. Khan would later be apprehended in Suriname and seized by the US authorities in Trinidad before being flown to the US where he completed a 10-year drug sentence and was deported to Guyana on September 20 2019.
2026.1.2 Ex-girlfriend remains in custody as probe continues into fatal Linden shooting
The 24-year-old ex-girlfriend of Amar Jones remains in police custody as the investigation into the fatal shooting continues, Regional Commander Kurleigh Simon told the News Room on Friday.
A motor vehicle was also seized as part of the ongoing probe.
Jones, described as a devoted father and a hardworking young businessman, was gunned down in broad daylight on Tuesday while he was waiting to pick up his 5-year-old daughter along the Half Mile Public Road.
According to a Police release, the incident occurred at approximately 15:00 hrs while Jones was in a motor canter. Amar worked with his family’s tow truck, wrecking and machinery business.
Speaking with the News Room, a close relative said Amar, who recently celebrated his 27th birthday on December 14, was a jolly and friendly person who enjoyed playing football and was in the process of building his house.
The relative explained that he and Amar worked closely together. On Tuesday, just 10 minutes before tragedy struck, the relative said Amar was waiting on his daughter to arrive.
The News Room understands that Amar was with a friend in the canter and had asked the friend to collect his daughter from the vehicle moments before the gunman opened fire.
Investigations revealed that an unidentified man discharged several rounds in Jones’ direction and then fled the scene. The search for this suspect is still ongoing
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