The decomposed body of six-year-old Orlando Jaikarran was found floating in a canal at Bath Settlement, West Coast Berbice, early this morning, six days after he was reported missing.
Region Five Commander, Senior Superintendent Lonsdale Whithrite, confirmed the recovery and said the child’s father remains the main suspect.
Whithrite identified the location as the Sea Dam Canal at Water Street, Block D, Bath Settlement. The body was discovered during a search operation.
Villagers and members of the Hunters Search and Rescue Team from Trinidad had been searching for Orlando, whose disappearance was reported on October 14. The circumstances surrounding his death have not yet been established.
The boy’s father, Bharrat Jaikarran, remains in police custody. Three persons were initially detained for questioning, but Whithrite had previously said that the other two were released.
Police had also been reviewing additional surveillance footage. In a statement issued on Saturday, the force said ranks searched several locations in Bath, including surrounding backlands, on Friday, October 16, without locating the child.
Orlando was reported missing on the morning of October 14 after his brothers, aged seven and 10, reportedly awoke and discovered that he was not there.
His grandmother, Dhankumarie Gowkarran, speaking to the media before the discovery, said she received a telephone call from her son informing her that Orlando was missing. He subsequently went to the Fort Wellington Police Station to make a report.
Gowkarran said she questioned her son about the disappearance and he denied harming the child. According to her, he said he loved his children and would never hurt them.
She described him as a hardworking cane harvester who ensured that his three sons attended school regularly. The children would usually visit her after school before returning to their nearby home, she said.
The grandmother had expressed hope that Orlando would be found safe.
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