A 72-year-old pensioner from Linden, who had traveled to the West Coast of Berbice since early September to attend her brother’s funeral, was murdered by her sister on Thursday night. Family members say the 55-year-old sister has a mental illness.

The dead woman has been identified as Barbara Crawford of Amelia’s Ward, Linden. A police statement today said she has been staying since the 12th September at a family home at Plantation Ross, West Coast Berbice.

On Thursday night, a brother who lives in the bottom flat of the two-story family house said he heard screaming from the upstairs and when he rushed up to investigate, all of the doors were locked. He said he called out to his two sisters but got no response, and he decided to contact another brother.

The two brothers broke the backdoor of the house and gained entrance. They said once in the house, they were confronted by the 55-year-old sister who was armed with a knife.

The two men managed to wrestle the knife away from the woman and hold her down as they went in search of the other sister, 72-year-old Barbara Crawford.

The elderly woman was found motionless in a chair of the house. The Police were immediately contacted and the suspect was handed over to law enforcement as Crawford was pronounced dead.

The 55-year-old suspect refused to answer questions from the investigators, but the Police said she later told a relative that she had strangled her older sister to death.

The Police said the relative informed investigators that the woman was a mentally-ill patient of the Canje Health Clinic.

She remains in custody as the family prepares for a second funeral within a month. Investigations are ongoing.

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