A post-mortem examination conducted on the body of 18-year-old Ronaldo Gomes has confirmed that his death resulted from his being struck by a boat last weekend while swimming at a resort on the Linden-Soesdyke Highway.
Conducted by State Pathologist Dr Nehaul Singh on Wednesday morning, the autopsy found that the teenager died as a result of asphyxiation and incise wound to the neck. Gomes’s body – hands and neck – bore marks that are consistent with injuries caused by the propeller of an outboard engine.
Based on the findings of the autopsy, it was determined that the impact of the boat had caused the teenager to lose consciousness, and he subsequently drowned.
The lifeless body of Gomes, called “Naldo,” of Norton Street Wortmanville, Georgetown, was pulled from the black water at a private resort almost two hours after he had gone missing. Thereafter, it was discovered that the teen’s face was disfigured, and upon enquiring, relatives were told that he had come into contact with a jet-ski earlier in the day.
Although that had been the case, the rider of the jet-ski had not reported the incident. It was not until a search had been launched for the teen that someone reportedly told personnel at the resort that the teen had come into contact with one of the jet-skis.
Guyana Times International understands that the teenager’s body was recovered at the same spot where he had been struck by the jet-ski.
The late teenager’s mother, Paula Williams, had called for a thorough investigation into the circumstances surrounding the tragic death of the former student of both the Business School and School of the Nations.
“If you are in a boat driving, and it hits even a coconut shell, the driver will know he hit something… What is more worrying too, is the fact that when an alarm was raised that my son was missing, there were no life guards and workers of the resort present to help look for him,” the aggrieved mother told this newspaper earlier this week.
However, after the post mortem had been conducted, relatives were told by the Police that any step forward would have to be via private actions.
“They said if we want (to) go ahead, we can take legal action against [the resort],” a cousin said. The family is adamant that they will not let the matter go until they get justice for the teenager.
