FIVE persons are being questioned following the brutal murder of 18-year-old Raynelle Benfield whose body with her face mutilated was discovered in the Muslim Cemetery along Beterverwagting main road on Monday morning.

Police said she was last seen alive by her colleagues at 18:00hrs on Saturday.

Detectives are of the opinion that she was the victim of a heinous crime in which she knew her attacker(s) and was probably held at gunpoint or knifepoint and taken forcefully into the cemetery where she was beaten to the point where her head was smashed in.

The body was found with her hands resting on her stomach near one of the many tombs in the burial ground.

Sleuths said a handbag which relatives said belong to the teen was retrieved near the body but her cell phone was not among the items in it.

Police are optimistic that they will soon crack the case since her relatives are assisting with the investigations. The body was found shortly after 08:00hrs on Monday when a passer-by decided to check after experiencing a strong stench emanating from the cemetery.

After that individual made the discovery the police were summoned and they cordoned off the scene and the body was removed.

As news of the young woman’s homicide began to spread in Beterverwagting, East Coast Demerara, residents were thrown into a state of grief and shock.

The Qualfon employee of Lot 66 Republic Drive, Beterverwagting was last seen alive when she left home for work on Saturday morning by her relatives, who told police that it was unlike her to stay away from home.

When she failed to return home Saturday night they launched a search for her and began making enquiries.

However, they were of the opinion that their loved one was working an extra shift and she would eventually show up.

Family members only learnt of her murder when the police showed up at their home after which the elder Benfield upon hearing the dreaded news of his daughter’s demise collapsed.

He was taken to the Beterverwagting Health Centre where he received medical attention and was later escorted to the nearby police station where he gave a statement