Police are investigating the alleged drowning of an 89-year-old pensioner whose body was discovered floating in a canal near his home at Mainstay/Whyaka on the Essequibo Coast on Wednesday afternoon.
Dead is David France, a resident of the community. According to the Guyana Police Force (GPF), preliminary investigations revealed that France was last seen alive at his home at around 12:45 p.m. on June 17. Police said the elderly man would normally bathe in a canal located approximately 120 feet east of his residence.
However, after he was not seen at home for several hours, relatives and residents became concerned and began searching for him. At about 3:30 p.m., France was found floating in the canal near his home.
His body was removed from the water and taken to the Lima Regional Hospital, where he was pronounced dead by a doctor on duty. Police said an examination of the body revealed no visible marks of violence.
The remains have since been transported to the Suddie Mortuary, where a post-mortem examination is expected to be conducted to determine the exact cause of death. Investigations into the incident are ongoing.
