Man arrested for burning wife, son in housefire

October 20 2026

A 31-year-old man has been arrested following the deaths of his common-law partner and their three-year-old son in a fire that destroyed their home at David James Scheme, Essequibo Coast, on Monday morning.

The suspect, a welder, remains in police custody as investigators probe the circumstances surrounding the deaths of Donette Albert, 29, and her son, Keron Latchman.

According to a police statement, the fire occurred at about 7:20 a.m. on October 19, 2026, at the family’s single-storey wooden residence.

Preliminary investigations indicate that Albert and the suspect were reportedly involved in an argument earlier that morning.

The man reportedly went downstairs and shortly afterwards noticed that the house was engulfed in flames. He claimed that he attempted to re-enter the burning building to rescue Albert and the child but was unable to do so because of the intensity of the fire.

The Guyana Fire Service responded and extinguished the blaze. The charred remains of the woman and child were subsequently discovered inside the building.

Their bodies were taken to Charity Hospital, where a doctor pronounced them dead, before being transferred to the Suddie Public Hospital Mortuary.

Post-mortem examinations are pending as the investigation continues.