Mystery surrounds the death of Stevie Hansraj, ten, who was crushed to death when a steel gate in an abandoned slaughter house fell on him near his home at Sirju Sadhu Salt Mine Trace, Siparia, on Sunday.
His grandmother, Pamela Hansraj, said yesterday she was suspicious about the incident and wondered aloud what may have led him there as it was a place he never frequented.
“This is too mysterious,” she said.
Police reports indicate that the child was found shortly before 10 pm by his elder brother, Steffon, 14, and one of his cousins, who is a police officer, at the abandoned cattle slaughter house owned by API Pipeline.
He was trapped under an iron and steel door measuring six feet by five feet. He was pronounced dead by DMO Dr Parasram who visited the scene.
An autopsy performed by Dr Hughvon de Vignes at the Forensic Sciences Centre, St James, yesterday, gave the cause of death as compression asphyxia.
At the family’s home yesterday, his parents, Steve and Annary Hansraj, were grief stricken as they tried to come to terms with the death of their third child, who is one of a twin.
Students at the Siparia KPA School where Steve and his twin brother Stephen were Standard Three pupils were also counselled and comforted by members of the Student Support Services from the Ministry of Education yesterday morning.
Dad Steve said the last time he spoke to Stevie was after lunch on Sunday when he and his dog, Brownie, left to visit a friend at the nearby Mulchan Trace.
He said when he did not return some four hours later, he went to the home of his son’s friend only to learn Stevie never arrived there. The family started a search in the area and as dusk descended, mom Annary contacted two of her cousins who are police officers and they joined the search.
With torchlights in hand the family later ventured onto the property that was once a wildlife resort.
The howling of the family’s dog, which was tied to a post in the slaughterhouse, led Steffon to his brother’s body at the foot of the steel equipment which was used to confine animals before they were slaughtered.
Annary said she and her husband rushed to the scene but the police prevented her from viewing her son’s body. Dad Steve was allowed but dashed back out to seek solace in his wife’s arms after seeing his son’s body.
Yesterday, Steve said his son was very ambitious, bright and loved school. He said Stevie was always the one he called on to do any chore because of his willingness.
“He was a good boy. I don’t know what caused him to go there. He never went there before,” he cried.
Offering a theory about what might have happened, he said he believed his son’s curiosity got the better of him and in trying to climb to the top of the gate, which was used to squeeze the animals to death, he triggered some mechanism and caused the gate to fall on him.
The family said they had no idea how they were going to bury Stevie, as his father, who is a mason, is now unemployed.