The body of the late Camille Seenauth, which was dug up from a shallow grave in Second Street, Alberttown last Friday was buried at Le Repentir Cemetery yesterday.

The body was unearthed by the police from the yard of self-styled spiritualist, Patricia Alves, who was subsequently taken into police custody.

Alves was still being held at the East La Penitence Police Station yesterday while the police continued their investigations into the death of Seenauth. Meanwhile, the search was still on for the missing 12-year-old girl who was at Alves' home at the time she was taken into police custody.

Contacted yesterday afternoon, Police Public Relations Officer, Assistant Superintendent David Ramnarine, told Stabroek News that as far as he was aware the police were still to receive the post- mortem report. He also objected to a statement in yesterday's edition which quoted him as saying that other pathologists would have to look at the post-mortem findings. He said this was erroneous and cast aspersions on the doctor who performed the autopsy. Stabroek News regrets the error.

Stabroek News understands that a male relative of Alves has also been taken into custody in relation to Seenauth's death. This newspaper learnt that the police have finished taking statements in relation to the incident and up to late yesterday evening were completing the file which would be taken to the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) for advice. The police are hoping that by Thursday the advice would have been given.

Seenauth's sister, Ann, yesterday told Stabroek News that a post- mortem was performed on the body and from the verbal report, it would appear that she died on Friday morning and not on Thursday as the police had been told. She said that they had not been given a death certificate or written report, but because the body "had been cut" they had been given permission to go ahead with the burial.

Ann and her brother Seemangal, both of whom had travelled to the Essequibo from the Pomeroon River, said that they had also been told by the police that it appeared that she had died of strangulation and that she had been sexually assaulted. There had also been visible marks of violence about her body.

Asked what action they wanted in view of the manner of their sister's death, Ann said they "cannot fight for anything. The law will have to take its course."

Ann said that the police had turned over the wedding band, which was on Seenauth's hand when she was found in the shallow grave and a bag with some of her clothes. She said they had been told that they would also receive her personal documents, which included items like her passport and hopefully her mother's transports for two properties which she had had in her possession.

Seemangal said that his wife last spoke with his late sister about two weeks ago. He said that she had told his wife not to call her anymore. His wife, he said, had asked her to return to live with them on the Pomeroon River but she had cried and said that she was not returning. He said they were never certain about some of her activities because she said so many different things to other relatives. They were never certain where she lived after she had left the home of an aunt at Montrose, East Coast Demerara. He said that she had a number of relatives in the city with whom she could have also stayed.

They recalled that she was born a Hindu, but converted to become a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. After she was married and went to live in Venezuela, her sister said, she began to dabble with obeah.

Her husband died about three years ago, her siblings said, and she returned to Guyana, living at Anna Regina in a common-law relationship for a while. When that relationship ended, she came to Georgetown and lived with an aunt at Montrose. She was involved in an accident last August during an outing with other 'church' members and after a brief period of hospitalisation, returned to the aunt's home in Montrose. She moved out again in November and went to live in Alberttown.

Meanwhile, the School Welfare Service is at present searching for the 12-year-old who had been discovered living with Alves last Friday, so that she could be given medical attention. The girl was taken from the home on Friday by the police but was returned there the same evening and stayed with two of Alves' church members. However, by Sunday she was removed from the home and is being kept at an undisclosed location.

Yesterday members of the welfare service, headed by coordinator, Yvonne Arthur, visited the home in search of the child. Their search proved to be futile as they were greeted with padlocked doors and no information was disclosed about the child's whereabouts. Arthur yesterday said that on Monday some guardians of the child visited the welfare services and from what they were told the child was in need of urgent medical attention. She said that would be their first priority once the child was found before they decide where she would be kept. According to her, some persons have indicated their willingness to keep the child but the welfare service would first have to be certain they were connected to the child.

Up to yesterday, neighbours were still keeping a close eye on Alves' house and they said that while no one was there during the day, a man usually visited the house at night and removed articles. They said that the man would usually ride up on a red motorcycle, which he parked on the road. They advised the welfare service members to return at night.