On Thursday, 1 October 2026, a Guyanese man from Vigilance, East Coast Demerara, Jimmol Murphy, was formally charged with the abduction of two Surinamese nationals who have remained missing for more than a month, before being granted bail ahead of his next court hearing.
Murphy, who is the brother of well-known local figure Mark “Demon”/”Diamond” Cromwell, made his first appearance in the case via a virtual hearing at the Fort Wellington Magistrates’ Court, overseen by Magistrate Shareefah Parks. Court procedure rules state that for this indictable abduction charge, Murphy was not required to enter a formal plea during this initial hearing.
Following the hearing, Magistrate Parks granted Murphy bail set at 1 million Guyanese dollars (GYD) and ordered him to appear for a subsequent hearing at the Blairmont Magistrates’ Court on 19 October 2026, where the case will progress for further reporting and procedural steps.
The charges detail that the alleged abduction took place on 29 August 2026 in Rosignol, West Coast Demerara. The two victims are identified as 28-year-old Siegello Lorenzo Van Dalen, who holds residential addresses at both Moustachestraat #29 and Koetaristraat 8 in Saramacca, Suriname, and 29-year-old Derryl Danillo Bont, a resident of Adolfstraat #9 in Wanica, Suriname.
As of the first court appearance, authorities have not confirmed the location or status of the two missing men, and their whereabouts remain unknown to both Guyanese and Surinamese law enforcement. If Murphy is ultimately convicted on the charge of wrongful, secret abduction and confinement of the two men, he faces a maximum penalty of a GYD 750,000 fine and five years of imprisonment under Guyanese law.
The procedural timeline leading up to Thursday’s charge shows that Murphy first surrendered to Guyanese police on the previous Friday, before being released on temporary bail. He was required to return to the police station on Thursday, at which point he was taken into formal custody and the abduction charge was officially laid.
Authorities have also confirmed that Cromwell’s wife, whose personal vehicle is alleged to have been used to transport the two Surinamese victims, has not been charged with any involvement in the case to date. She remains released on station bail as the investigation continues.
The cross-border missing person case dates back to late August. Joint statements from Surinamese and Guyanese police issued on 19 September confirmed that the two men were reported missing after leaving their Suriname homes on 28 August, traveling in a Toyota Vitz bound for Nickerie, a Surinamese border city. The pair were last confirmed to be seen on 29 August, when they exited the vehicle in Clarasluis (Clara Sluice), Nickerie, to cross the border into Guyana by small boat. No further contact with the men has been made since that date.