Grandparents bicker over Buxton orphan
Stabroek News
May 30, 2004
With his thumb stuck in his mouth, Nkofi Cromwell is a typical one-year-old. No one would guess that only a few days ago he was locked in a house with the rotting corpses of his parents.
His parents Luana Cromwell and William Simon died in a murder/suicide incident on May 18. Their partly decomposed bodies were discovered on May 21 when relatives broke down the door at Lot 8 Middle Walk, Buxton.
Cromwell's body had an electrical wire wrapped around it while Simon was found with his arm draped over his reputed wife.
A post mortem revealed that the two died by electrocution. It also revealed that Cromwell was hit with a blow to the head that disfigured her skull.
Nkofi was severely dehydrated and spent a few days in the hospital.
By Wednesday, he was being smothered with hugs and kisses from his grandmother, Joy Joseph and various aunts when Stabroek News visited the Buxton/Friendship area. But he did not hesitate to climb into the arms of this reporter and rest his head on her shoulder, eyes closed, thumb firmly lodged in his mouth.
Despite the love now being showered upon him this orphan's future remains shaky since relatives cannot agree on who should take care of him.
His grandfather, Godfrey Cromwell, feels that his grandmother does not have the time to look after him, while Joseph does not want Nkofi growing up with Cromwell's daughter from another marriage.
Joseph, who is a police officer, had previously told this newspaper that her daughter was in a troubled relationship. She said the couple always quarrelled. On one occasion, her daughter made a report to the Vigilance Police Station that she had been threatened with a knife.
Because of the constant bickering, Joseph said she encouraged her daughter to leave Simon. He had moved out for a few months and during that time she supported little Nkofi. Later they got back together but it was not long after that they both died.
According to Joseph, her daughter met Simon when she was attending a city institution and while he was originally from the Corentyne, he lived part of the time with a sister at Linden, whenever he was not working in Georgetown. She said he took her daughter there from time to time.
"Even though they had their problems, I never expected him to do something like this he was very quiet and respectful. It is such a tragedy that things ended like they did, it is really sad."
She had said that her grandchild would grow up with her, adding that the family would take good care of him.
However, the child's grandfather contacted this newspaper on Friday and said Joseph had taken the child away from his daughter who had been sleeping next to him during his brief stay at the hospital. Joseph has since denied this claim.
Cromwell said his daughter, who is not Joseph's child, was prepared to look after Nkofi with his support. He related that when Luana was alive and she wanted to go out she left the child with that sister and not with Joseph.
According to him, Luana grew up with him and did not get along with her mother, a claim the mother denies.
He says Joseph did not collect some of his clothes. He added that because Joseph is a policewoman she works at night and sometimes the child would have no one to take care of him.
But Joseph said she had already found a babysitter for when she is not at home in the day and has a great aunt who would take care of him at night when she has to work. She added that Luana's sister was also a policewoman and worked similar hours to her.
Joseph said she was making plans to have Nkofi taken abroad so that he would not have to grow up in Buxton and be reminded of how his parents died.
At present Nkofi is with Joseph, who says he is comfortable and happy.