Fifteen days after Gyaneshwarie “Laleta” Sivanand of Durban Backlands, Georgetown allegedly jumped off Kaieteur Falls, her battered and decomposing body was finally transported to Georgetown on Wednesday. The woman went missing on September 1 during a visit to the Kaieteur Falls National Park.

The woman’s body was taken to the Lyken’s Funeral Home where it will await a post-mortem examination. Relatives of the dead woman have remained tightlipped.

However, a member of the Special Forces told Guyana Times International that they spotted the body of the missing woman on Sunday after they were deployed to the area, based on a report that the body was sighted.

He stated that upon locating the body, they attempted to use ropes and a helicopter to retrieve it but it was too risky taking into consideration the condition of the body. The officer stated that the eight-crew member team was forced to fetch the body to location that would have been safe enough for the helicopter to land.

He stated that on the first day of the recovery mission, they secured the body in a body bag by which time, it was dark; hence they camped out for the night. On the second day, they fetched the body for close to six hours in rough terrain and ceased operation for the remaining of the night.

On the third day, which was Tuesday, he stated that they took turns in carrying the body closer to the spot where it had to be collected. On Wednesday at about 11:30h, the body was collected and transported to the Ogle International Airport.

However, he explained that the body was severely damaged and was identified by the wristwatch on one of the hands. “Due to the current of the water, the body did not have on any clothes… so I am not sure how relatives stated that they identified her by the clothes she was wearing”, the official stated.

Nevertheless, he stated that the crew worked tirelessly to get the body out to the city. “It was indeed an experience… and it was hard work”, he added.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Presidency via a release to the media announced the Kaieteur National Park (KNP) has been re-opened as of Wednesday while noting that the woman’s body was retrieved and transported to the city.

The body, which was first spotted by a KNP Ranger late Saturday afternoon, was found in a rocky area at the base of the Falls, which had previously been submerged by high water levels.

On the afternoon of September 1, it was discovered that Sivanand, who had arrived at the KNP on an Air Services Limited flight, was missing after she left her group on the way back from touring the Falls.

A search operation was immediately launched by the KNP Rangers. An expanded search was later led by the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) and the Guyana Police Force (GPF), focusing on the base of the Falls and the surrounding gorge and trails, but no trace of the woman had been found at that time.

The Ministry of the Presidency expressed its condolences to the family and friends of the deceased tourist during this difficult time.