Suspect in 2012 Disappearance of GRA Employee Arrested
September 17, 2024 – Eleven years after the mysterious disappearance of Guyana Energy Agency (GEA) employee Levoy Taljit, police have apprehended the man accused of killing him.
Dead: Levoy Taljit
Crime Chief Wendell Blanhum confirmed that Ryvan Francis, 46, was arrested by detectives from the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) at Soesdyke, East Bank Demerara.
Francis, who resides at 4B Sharma Street, Soesdyke, is suspected of strangling Taljit and burying his body. Investigators are now questioning him, hoping to locate Taljit’s remains.
His arrest comes just days after an online conversation with a woman, whom he was hoping to meet for a blind date.
Strangled and Buried
During a recorded interview with detectives, Francis reportedly admitted that he became friends with Taljit in 2011, and the GEA employee would frequently visit his home.
A key witness told investigators that on December 23, 2012, Francis gave her a Scotiabank card and instructed her to withdraw money from Taljit’s account in Georgetown. She and another individual withdrew GY$60,000, split the funds, and returned GY$10,000 to Francis.
A few days later, the witness discovered through social media that Taljit, last seen with Francis on the night of December 23, had gone missing.
When she confronted Francis, he allegedly confessed, saying, “I killed Levoy Taljit at Ideal Road, Soesdyke.”
Francis reportedly told police that he strangled Taljit in his car and buried his body. Taljit, 25 at the time, vanished on December 23, 2012, after leaving home in his Toyota Raum, PNN 8315. Five days later, his abandoned car was discovered in the Yarrowkabra backlands along the Linden-Soesdyke Highway.
Suspect Previously Questioned
In 2012, police had traced phone records to Francis, who was found in possession of Taljit’s phone and bank card. Francis claimed at the time that Taljit had given him the card to withdraw cash and asked him to hide the vehicle. Despite these admissions, Francis was released without charge.
In April 2022, authorities issued a wanted bulletin for Francis after receiving new information linking him to Taljit’s murder. His recent arrest now marks a major breakthrough in the cold case.
