A relative of Demarius Payne, an 18-year-old college student from Atlanta, Georgia, who tragically drowned in Linden, Region 10, on December 26, 2024, is disputing the official account provided by the Guyana Police Force regarding the incident.
According to the police, Payne drowned after swimming at Coomacka Mines in deep water.
However, his relative, Onica Narr, has shared a different version of events. She explained that the family had been in a boat on the Demerara River when the boat capsized and sank, leaving them stranded in the water.
The relative clarified that there was no need to search for Payne, as the family had been together at the time of the incident.
The relative further explained that Payne had been trying to help family members who were struggling in the water after the boat capsized. While attempting to assist them, Payne suffered a cramp and panicked, which caused him to take in water.
He was later pulled from the river in a semi-conscious state by relatives. He was rushed to the Linden Hospital Complex, where he was pronounced dead shortly afterward.
This tragic incident has left the family devastated, as they cope with the loss of a young man with a bright future.
