Rupununi tourism body unhappy at poor death probe of tour guide, blames cattle rustlers

Last Updated on Saturday, 31 January 2026, 19:38 by Writer

Even as the Guyana Police Force (GPF) said it was investigating the death of well-known Region Nine tour guide Leon “Rasta” Baird, a tourism organisation, Visit Rupununi, on Saturday criticised that law enforcement agency for doing little over the years to go after cattle rustlers believed to be the prime suspects in the killing.

That regional destination marketing and management organisation called on the relevant authorities to ensure that a proper investigation is done in a timely manner.

Visit Rupununi said the probe should be transparent and professional with a clear commitment from law enforcement and national authorities to uphold justice.

“There have been reported sightings of suspects, witnesses have come forward, and physical evidence remains at the crime scene that has yet to be collected. The lead investigator has not been seen in the district since last Sunday,” Visit Rupununi said in a statement.

Neither Police Commissioner Clifton Hicken nor Head of the Police Force’s Criminal Investigations Department (CID) Deputy Police Commissioner Wendell Blanhum responded to questions on Saturday.

Expressing deep concern about a “lack of visible progress”, Visit Rupununi said no suspects are known to have been formally questioned.

In its lone bulletin issued Friday at 2:16 p.m., the GPF said “no arrests have been made” and investigators were continuing work to establish the “full circumstances surrounding the incident.”

Police said the partially charred human remains of Baird, 38, of St. Ignatius Village were found in a burnt vehicle along the eastern bank of the Rupununi River in close proximity to Wichabai Ranch, South Rupununi on Sunday, January 25.

The remains were removed and transported to the Lethem Regional Hospital, where the individual was pronounced dead, police added.

A post-mortem examination conducted on Tuesday, January 27, by Government Pathologist Dr. Nehaul Singh gave the cause of death as burns and indicated that the victim was alive prior to the fire, police said in its statement.

The body was subsequently handed over to relatives for burial.

Police did not say who and how the body was identified as that of Baird.

DNA samples were also obtained as part of the ongoing investigation, police also said.

During subsequent enquiries in the area, police said they also discovered the remains of two cattle nearby, suspected to have been shot.

Items of evidential value, including a knife and spent shotgun shells, were recovered and lodged as part of ongoing examinations, the GPF said.

Cattler rustlers may be killers 

Saying it was “deeply disturbed and outraged by the brutal killing” of Baird “in an act of extreme violence in the South Rupununi savannah”, Visit Rupununi blamed cattle rustlers for the slaying of the well-known conservationist.

“Based on information reported from the area and evidence observed at the scene, this killing is widely believed to be perpetrated by cattle rustlers active in the Sand Creek area,” that tourism organisation said.

Visit Rupununi accused “authorities” of doing little to tackle cattle rustling, which has seriously impacted ranches, in the Rupununi by organised groups known in Region Nine (Upper Takatu-Upper Essequibo), although repeated reports had been made.

“Despite formal reports made over a prolonged period, these crimes have continued, leaving many in the region feeling exposed and unprotected,” the organisation said.

Visit Rupununi said many in the Rupununi were now asking whether the long-standing lack of effective response to reported criminal activity has contributed to an environment where such violence could occur.

“If this crime is ignored, the risk is that such acts will continue—and escalate. When acts of this magnitude go unanswered, it sends a dangerous message: that violence can occur without consequence,” the organisation which was established in 2015 with assistance from Conservation International said in its statement.

Paying tribute to Leon Baird, Visit Rupununi said he was a respected local guide, vaquero, and conservationist, “a man who dedicated his life to the land, to wildlife, and to the positive development of the Rupununi region.”