Nicola Jacobs, a 51-year-old domestic worker employed with the St. Joseph Mercy Hospital, and a mother of 10 children, was yesterday afternoon found burnt to death in her home at Bachelor’s Adventure, East Coast Demerara by the Guyana Fire Service (GFS).
Neighbours reportedly saw the woman’s wooden home on fire and contacted the GFS. Firefighters arrived and put out the blaze, but the house was destroyed and amidst the rubbles, they located Jacob’s burnt remains.
The Guyana Police Force (GPF) in a release stated that the cause of the fire which claimed the woman’s life is unknown at this time, and investigations are ongoing. The scene has been processed and photographed by a member of the Force’s crime scene unit to assist in the investigation.
However, the woman’s family in an interview with the Kaieteur News yesterday afternoon dispelled reports in sections of the media that Nicola committed suicide by setting herself and her home on fire. In fact, the woman’s children told the Newspaper that it is her partner, who lived with her, who told the media that their mother had set herself on fire following an argument.
Temiki Jacobs, one of the woman’s daughters, related that her mother was in a common-law relationship with a 34-year-old man. She said that her mother was living with the individual for five years now, but he became abusive toward her.
“The two a dem steady used to fight, he used to beat her bad for money to buy weed and we does tell she mammy lef he and come home, the man nah good fuh yuh”, said the daughter. Temika told the Newspaper that Tuesday afternoon, her mother and the man got into another domestic dispute and she burnt up his clothes. As a result, he reported the matter to the police and she was placed in the lock-ups.
“She only come out of the lock up this morning (Wednesday) and she go by my father’s home (Jacob’s ex-husband) and said that she moving in back.” According to the woman’s daughter, Jacobs gave him her ID card and some money and reportedly said ‘I going home for ma clothes and come back’. Her children were waiting for her to return when they received a call informing them that their mother had set herself on fire.
But the family isn’t buying that story. They want the police to do a proper investigation since they believe that her partner is deceptive. “My mother was a strong-willed person who fought herself out of difficult situations,” the daughter related. The 34-year-old partner, who has not yet been named, was taken into police custody as investigations continue.
More, In The Ring.
