Baird died from heart failure, a postmortem report revealed. Her parents are currently making arrangements for her burial today.

Stabroek News revisited Mocha on Thursday and spoke to a few residents who all came out in strong condemnation of the villagers who encouraged the young ladies to brawl on Monday night.

Village activist, Emerson Brandford, described the crowd that encouraged the fight as shameless idlers who needed to channel their energies into other directions. However, Brandford quickly pointed out that opportunities might not be there for the youngsters and called on the authorities to address the many social ills plaguing the community.

Brandford said the incident was not a healthy sign for the village, noting that it shows a reversal of values in the community.

Brandford said the youths of today are lacking in respect for each other. He said the village has a number of youth groups, but these have failed to make an impact. Brandford said he understands the fight was fuelled by jealousy.

The fight which occurred at a popular corner was witnessed by over 40 persons, a schoolboy told this newspaper, admitting that he was a part of the gathering.

He recalled that the girls had visited an entertainment spot the previous Sunday but seemed to have fallen out. He said ever since they returned on Sunday evening there was animosity which was further fuelled by Baird's decision to enter the Miss East Bank beauty pageant. Many villagers believe that Baird would have been an automatic choice to represent Mocha because she was the reigning queen.

The schoolboy told Stabroek News that even though he was part of the crowd he was surprised to see a few adults forming the ring to spur the fight.

"He had some big men and women shouting out 'Beat she! Beat she!' referring to Baird," the boy recalled.

Pensioner Evadney Waldrond said she was not on the road at the time of the incident but from what she heard, it was a disgrace for the village. The elderly woman said that what was appalling was the fact that adults were there to encourage the girls.

Christine Kirsten, a young woman, said the death of Baird must be laid at the feet of the villagers. Kirsten said from all indications only one woman made an attempt to stop the fight when she threw ice-water on the girls. They ran away but later regrouped and continued to fight. Kirsten observed that there were many unemployed persons who would usually lime at the corner. Besides, Kirsten said there was no proper, functioning police station. She said the state of the police station was testimony to the quality of work that was being done by the officers.

The Mocha Police Station is in a state of disrepair. Most of the windows are defective, the fence torn down and the building defaced.

The 18-year-old beauty queen's relatives had said they are not satisfied with the post-mortem results and will be seeking legal advice. Sources had told this newspaper that because of the cause of death the police would find it difficult to charge the three girls with any offence. The police have since released the women on station bail.

Baird's relatives had said that the three had an ongoing problem with the young woman and were jealous of her.

The girl's mother said that her daughter had a heart problem, which was known to many since she had been visiting her doctor for regular checkups.