C'tyne man kills Buxton wife, takes own life
--- 3-year-old locked in room for four days
by Michel Outridge
Guyana Chronicle
May 22, 2004
THE child who was locked and left without food and water for three to four days while inhaling the stench of his parents' decomposing bodies in the other room of their Buxton, East Coast Demerara residence, is recuperating in the Pediatric Ward of the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation.
He is said to be in a stable condition.
The child, Nkofi, 3, of Lot 8 Church of God Road North, Buxton, is said to be in a stable condition and being fed crushed potatoes and juice by the hospital's nursing staff.
Nkofi's parents, Luana Cromwell, 24, and a man called Simon, 25, of Limlair, Corentyne, Berbice, lay dead in the house, their partly decomposed bodies found yesterday morning on their bed by a relative who had gone there to enquire of Cromwell's whereabouts after it was reported that she had not been seen for a few days.
Nkofi was found in his room, dehydrated and very hungry.
It is believed he witnessed the brutal murder of his mother before he was locked in the other room by his father.
According to the dead woman's stepfather, James Jones of Lot 12 Cummings Street, Buxton, the dead couple had been engrossed in a "very stormy" relationship for some time. The dead woman's mother, Joy Joseph, cried bitterly after their bodies were taken away yesterday.
She said that she saw her daughter on Monday last and she seemed to be her normal self; she did not indicate that day that she had any particular problem.
The grieving woman disclosed that her daughter, who was employed with Federal Management Systems (FMS) in Queenstown, visited her almost every day. She said Luana was the victim of domestic and physical abuse by her common-law husband, who had threatened to kill her on several occasions.
Luana Cromwell was a frequent visitor to Vigilance Police Station where she had made several physical abuse complaints.
Joseph told the Guyana Chronicle that the police had to intervene about a month ago when Simon, who was said to be employed at Alesie Rice Company, attacked Luana with a knife and had vowed to kill her.
Both of Luana's parents and other close relatives said that they had always encouraged her to end the relationship with Simon but she did not heed their pleas.
They said that they do not know much about Simon and his relatives.
It is believed that Simon, who was jealous of Luana, reportedly murdered her since Tuesday and later committed suicide, but not before locking their baby in the other room of the house.
Simon, who was termed as a very experienced technician, allegedly electrocuted Luana after she was injured during a struggle with him. Electric wire was found around her neck and the room was soaked with water. Residents in the area said there was a slight power failure on Tuesday.
Power was restored after a Guyana Power & Light Company crew visited the area and repaired the damage.
It is not certain how Simon took his own life but relatives suspected that he ingested poison after killing his wife.
They were found in their bedroom on the bed in a very decomposed state. The sheets and floor were soaked with blood and bits of decaying flesh were observed on the mattress and sheets.
The stench was almost unbearable, but a large crowd nonetheless gathered to get a glimpse of the bodies before they were taken out of the house.
Some residents were still reeling from shock yesterday when the Guyana Chronicle visited the scene.
Luana's biological father, Godfrey Cromwell, said he had visited his daughter's residence and advised her to terminate the relationship with Simon, but she usually hid him away in the house.