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double murder of David Gomes and his mother, Elizabeth Gomes recovered his personal belongings, including his cell phone in the possession of their killer-the now dead prison escapee Akeem Wong.

Wong was shot and killed last Sunday by ranks of the Joint Services who were pursuing him for more than two weeks at ‘Groete Creek’ Backdam, Essequibo River in Region Seven.

Crime Chief Wendell Blanhum confirmed that following Wong’s death, a search was conducted and several of David’s belongings were recovered in his possession.

They include a Samsung Galaxy cell phone and two SIM cards.

Blanhum said investigators were able to confirm that one of the SIM cards is registered in David’s name. The other is registered with a foreign company.

Elizabeth Gomes and David Gomes

The wallpaper on the cell phone bears a photograph of David’s son.

Further checks on the phone revealed several photographs of David, including that of his national identification card and driver’s license, Blanhum told the News Room.

David and his mother were brutally chopped to death between 17:00hrs and 20:00hrs on March 08.

At the time, the mother and son were visiting their vacation home in Saxacalli home.

They were accompanied by David’s six-year-old son who witnessed the heinous crime.

Wong escaped from the Mazaruni Prison, Guyana’s maximum security prison, on February 15.

Following the double murder, it is believed that Wong was hiding out in the area, which consists of multiple trails. There were also numerous sightings of him in the Saxacalli area.

Canada-based Guyanese Ryan Khedoo replenishes at half-time after scoring for Guyana (Photo: News Room/Avenash Ramzan/March 22, 2024)

Forward Ryan Khedoo of Sigma FC (Canada) secured a place in history, becoming the first player of Guyanese ancestry to score on Saudi soil as he finished a pass from defender Quincy Adams at the top of the box, placing it to the bottom right of goal.

Jeddah Club, which was founded in 1968 and competes in the First Division League, the second tier of Saudi football, equalised soon after.

“This game provided us with a good opportunity to see many of the players who are not on the first team. Of course we make our notes and we go back to the drawing board and implement the things we think need improving,” Dover explained.

The Assistant Coach added that it augers well for the national team programme when young players like Khedoo, Darron Niles of Slingerz FC and others are showing an appetite and desire to excel at the highest level.

Assistant Coach Wayne Dover keeping a close eye on the action at the King Abdullah Sports City in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia (Photo: News Room/Avenash Ramzan/March 22, 2024)

The starting XI read: Akel Clarke (Captain and Goalkeeper), Marcus Simmons, Nathan Ferguson, Ryan Hackett, Jalen Jones, Quincy Adams, Amos Ramsay, Darron Niles, Raushan Ritch, Ryan Khedoo and Kadel Daniel.

Khedoo, whose parents are Berbicians who migrated to Canada during their teenaged days, said it is a pleasure to be part of the national team programme and benefitting from the exposure that comes with playing in Saudi Arabia.

“I’m super grateful, super blessed to be here with the team and represent my roots and my country,” Khedoo said.

“It’s a fantastic and unbelievable opportunity for everyone to be here and for everyone to see Guyana on a bigger platform. You never who’s watching and this is a good opportunity for us in Guyana to showcase our talent.”

Assistant Coach Wayne Dover addressing the players at half-time (Photo: News Room/Avenash Ramzan/March 22, 2024)

The practice game was initially not on the schedule for the Golden Jaguars, who are one of two teams (Bermuda being the other) from Concacaf selected to participate in friendly matches in the first-ever FIFA Series.

The Golden Jaguars will play their final game of the Series against Cambodia on March 26 at the Prince Abdullah Al-Faisal Stadium in Jeddah.

The match will kick off at 15:00h Guyana time.

ABOUT THE FIFA SERIES

These matches are part of a new initiative approved by the FIFA Council in 2023 where in every even-numbered year the world governing body will host matches across the six confederations.

Dubbed the FIFA Series, the first-ever staging allows football nations the opportunity to compete against teams outside their confederation.

According to FIFA, “The ultimate objective of the FIFA Series is to allow more international football interaction, making a concrete contribution to global football development. The pilot edition will feature 20 member associations playing in four locations across three continents.”

Algeria, Azerbaijan, Saudi Arabia and Sri Lanka are the host nations for the first FIFA Series.