post-mortem examination conducted yesterday was unable to determine the cause of death of 25-year-old farmer Marinda Ernest, whose body was exhumed following an investigation into the circumstances surrounding her demise.
Government Pathologist Dr. Nehaul Singh conducted the examination on October 1, 2026, but concluded that the cause of death was undetermined due to the advanced state of decomposition.
Ernest, of Philippai Village, Upper Mazaruni, had been found dead after she and her 23-year-old reputed husband reportedly participated in a self-help exercise with approximately 40 villagers at a farm about an hour’s walk from their home.
According to police, the exercise ended at about 4 pm, after which Ernest and the man left together to return home.
The man reportedly told investigators that while they were travelling along the main trail, he entered the bushes briefly. When he returned, he could not locate Ernest.
He said he continued home but did not find her there, prompting him to return to the trail and search the surrounding area.
During the search, he reportedly discovered Ernest unclothed and motionless in bushes near a stream. Villagers were subsequently alerted.
The matter was reported to police at approximately 7 am the following day. Investigators who visited the area later found Ernest’s body beneath a shed and covered with a sheet.
An initial examination of the body had revealed suspected puncture wounds below her left breast and to her back, as well as abrasions to her back and left leg.
The 23-year-old reputed husband was subsequently taken into police custody and is assisting with the investigation.
Following Thursday’s post-mortem examination, Ernest’s body was handed over to her relatives for burial. Police investigations into the circumstances surrounding her death remain ongoing.
Questions had been raised over the manner in which the body had been stored leading to the need for it to be buried and then exhumed for the autopsy.
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