Another Mystery Death At Tema

BARELY EIGHTEEN months after the naked body of a house help, Miss Ruth Klu, was found floating in a swimming pool at Tema Community 12, the body of another female has been discovered in a swimming pool.

The Captain's Lodge at Tema Community 11, was the scene. Investigations carried out by this reporter disclosed that last Friday at about 8 p.m., 24-year old Dorothy Darkwa went to swim in an about seven-foot deep swimming pool owned by Omega Marine Consultancy, a British operated marine surveying firm.

Reports were that she and an Australian, Noel, swam in the water for barely 45 minutes before climbing out. She was reported to have taken in four bottles of beer during the period that she stayed at the recreational area.

Miss Dorothy Darkwa complained of feeling cold and that was all. The investigation unravelled two different narrations put by a lady employee of the company and the wife of the director.

The employee, Sylvia Blankson, who was not at work that evening, told this reporter that her colleagues related what occurred to her at home the same night. According to her the deceased was coming to the Captain's Lodge with her German boy friend, a Claudes of Prampram.

On that fateful day she took the drink and later joined the Australian in the swimming pool but the two later came out.

Dorothy reportedly went to change her swimming costume while Noel engaged in playing a game of darts.

A few minutes later, the Australian shouted for help as he undressed and jumped into the pool and continued with a cry of 'help, help'.

He reportedly held what looked like a lifeless person to the wall of the pool and was assisted by a male around to drag Dorothy to the concrete floor.

An attempt to assist her with basic respiratory move failed, so the director, Mr. Nicholas Handy, sent to Community Seven, quite a distance, for a driver to carry what could not be determined as a dead or living person to the Tema General Hospital.

While they were at the hospital for almost 30 minutes, a doctor eventually attended to them but refused to take in the body, saying that since the claim was that she got drowned they should report with the body to the Police Hospital in Accra.

The wife of the director, heavily pregnant, who was alleged to have attempted resuscitating Dorothy, claimed that when she complained of cold nobody knew anything again till her body was retrieved from the swimming pool.

It could not be established whether or not she had stumbled into the pool on her way to change from the dressing room. The belief was that if she had fallen into the pool people who were around would have heard of the drop and the subsequent splashing of water.

The Tema Regional Police CID, who are investigating the case, said the next line of action will be taken after a postmortem examination has been carried. Police have meanwhile taken statements from a number of persons, including Nicholas Handy and his pregnant wife, Adjoa Serwah.

It will be recalled that in April of last year, Miss Ruth Klu, a 36-year old house help of the Ellis Kwasi family at Community 12 was found dead in a swimming pool in their residence.

After a preliminary protest from the family in respect of investigations, the Homicide Unit of the CID headquarters took over the case.

During postmortem at the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital, a lump was found on the body and that part was cut-off and sent to the Ghana Standards Board for forensic analysis.

For over one year, the report from that examination has not come out.