Man arrested for burning wife, young daughters in house

Last Updated on Sunday, 13 December 2020, 14:12 by Denis Chabrol

A man Saturday night burnt his wife and two young children in their home in the south-western town Guyanese mining town of Bartica, police said.

It is not clear whether he killed them first before setting the house alight.

Dead are 48-year old Carolina Kennedy and her two daughters, five and three years old. The incident occurred at Four Miles Squatting Area, Bartica, Potaro at about 9:30 Saturday night.

Investigators were told that firefighters  were not able to reach the location of the fire and as such a bucket brigade was formed.

The suspect was arrested in bushes nearby the house.

“Upon arrival what remained of a wooden 24×15 structure was seen completely engulfed in flames. The water Tender was unable to reach to its location and as such a bucket brigade was formed. When the fire was extinguished what appeared to be the charred remains of three (3) human beings were found in the south eastern corner of where the house stood. The bodies of the victims were subsequently removed and taken to the Bartica Hospital Mortuary,” Guyana Police Force spokesman, Assistant Commissioner of Police, Royston Andries-Junor said in a statement.

He was arrested and escorted to the Bartica Hospital where he is admitted for minor burns to his feet.  Investigations are still ongoing .

Meanwhile, Vice Chairman of Region Seven (Cuyuni-Mazaruni), Kamal Persaud on Sunday called for “stronger penalties for those guilty of domestic violence.” She also urged men to join the fight against the scourge, saying that men are mostly the perpetrators. “Women cannot be the only advocates,” said Ms. Persaud, a prominent businesswoman in the town of which is a former Deputy Mayor.