'Old Higue murder'

Up to press time, the woman who was beaten to death in the village of Bare Root on the East Coast Demerara after residents said she was an 'Old Higue' was still unidentified and three persons are now in custody over the murder.
Stabroek News understands that while a woman who was arrested by the police following the murder was released two other persons were taken into custody. A man had been held on Saturday. The incident demonstrated how deeply held superstitious beliefs could result in murder and yesterday many residents pondered and quarrelled over the incident.
The woman was found at the corner of a road on Saturday morning and police said that there were marks of violence about her body. A post-mortem examination is expected to be done. Stabroek News was told on Saturday that the woman was beaten with a manicole broom (made of fronds from the manicole palm) and left at the side of the road and the body was later removed by the police. There were conflicting reports as to why and how the woman met her death but one report said that residents believed that the woman had sucked blood from a baby leaving a mark on the child's chest. Another report said that two men had called out to the woman as they thought it was a person they knew and instead of an answer they were greeted by a snarling sound. The men then called residents out. Residents surrounded the woman and threw rice around her while some threw kerosene and tried to burn her.
When Stabroek News visited the village yesterday none of the residents whom this newspaper spoke to reported seeing any of the above. They also said they did not witness how the woman met her death as by the time they arrived on the scene she was already dead. Some residents did not want to speak to this newspaper on the issue. What was apparent from those persons speaking to this newspaper was that many persons believe that 'Old Higue' exists and there are deeply held superstitious beliefs.
One young man told this newspaper that he has seen 'Old Higues' many times before. He said before the village became so populated he would see these things. "But I can't really seh wah happen hay yesterday (Saturday) because I wasn't deh suh I can't comment. But I know `Old Higue' deh," he said. Another woman, who was with her two children, told this newspaper that she is a firm believer that 'Old Higue' is a part of the world. "Me mother always tell we about it, and she use to tell we when `Old Higue' sucking you girl child you does know", the woman said as she held on to the hand of her daughter. She said since she moved into the area she has never had an encounter but she knew it was around because of what was happening with her child. She said she was not at home yesterday morning but when she returned she heard of the incident and feels that it was the same 'Old Higue' that has been sucking her daughter. "`Old Higue' have to dead and I believe if she was an `Old Higue' she had to dead," the woman said firmly.
One young man said no one gives life so they should not take it. "But you think about it this way if you wake up and see a `Old Higue' sucking you baby what you go do? You have to do something you ent go stand up and watch it do dat to you child." But when it was pointed out to him that the woman was not killed in a house but rather on the road corner he declined to make any further comment. He said his cell phone had just alarmed when he heard noise in the street and upon investigating he saw people in the street running towards the back. When he decided to follow he saw the woman lying on the street. Yesterday, the house where the child, who was reportedly attacked, lived was locked up and no one next door would comment on the issue. One woman who lives not far from the house said she did not come out until in the morning and she saw the woman dead. She does not believe in `Old Higue' but pointed out that "all kind a thing" exist in the world. She is not afraid of what transpired about a stone's throw away from her home but said her daughter is scared. A woman, who said she is of the Rastafarian faith, said she would not have gone to see the body as the woman is unclean and she wanted no unclean being next to her. "If she is a `Old Higue' she had to go, we don't want dem kinda a thing in this place," she said while eating her bowl of chowmein with a piece of chicken on top.
An elderly woman in the area was the only person who was not in agreement with what transpired. She was very angry at the way the woman met her death and said she did not believe in the existence of `Old Higue'. "If deh say she suck a child then where is the child? Bring the child out and let we see," the woman said. She said as far as she is concerned the woman must have been of unsound mind and she may have wandered into the village. She could not understand how people in the village could have pounced upon such a hapless person and beat her to death. "I don't believe in that and I don't believe she was any `Old Higue'. They were wrong, they should not have killed the woman. They could have chased her out of the village," the woman said. She said she did not investigate the issue but was told about it.
As this newspaper was leaving the village a youth shouted, "Stabroek News, tell dah story good you know she was a `Old Higue' and she had to dead." Some of the older folks in the village refused to speak to this newspaper and even dissuaded some younger ones who were inclined to speak from doing so.
The police are continuing their investigation.
According to local legend, an `Old Higue' is an evil spirit, usually a woman, who changes into a ball of fire and sucks the blood of people.
She must remove her skin in order to perform this act. She can be stopped by grains of rice, which she is apparently forced to count and by being beaten with a manicole broom.