MONROVIA – Since the mysterious death of 21-year-old Odell Sherman, a 12th-grade student of the Harrietta Bailey United Methodist School in Duazon, Margibi County, her case remains unresolved. Conflicting medical reports have emerged regarding the circumstances of her death, and her body is currently deposited at a local funeral home awaiting an autopsy.
Rumors have circulated that Odell died as a result of being allegedly gang-raped on May 21st, after she went out to celebrate completing her West African Senior Secondary Certificate Examination (WASSCE) exam. The Liberia National Police (LNP) released a report from the ELWA hospital where Odell was pronounced dead, indicating that she was bleeding from the ears, suggesting possible sexual abuse or gang rape.
Another death certificate from the hospital suggested that Odell died as a result of falling from the stairs of an unfinished building owned by Rev. Emmanuel Giddings, causing confusion among LNP authorities.
In demand for justice, friends, relatives, classmates, and schoolmates of Odell protested in Duazon, Margibi County, on Sunday, May 26, 2019, along the Robert calling on the government, through the Ministry of Justice, to expedite the investigation into her death. The protesters called for the immediate arrest of Rev. Emmanuel Giddings, whom residents accused of having a connection to Odell’s death.
Protesters shouted demands for justice and called for the arrest and prosecution of Rev. Giddings. They urged the LNP to expedite the investigation to bring relief to Odell’s grieving family. One protester, Samuel Ballot, expressed the need for justice and stated, “It hurts us to see our sister die this way; we want justice to take its course.”
Amunchine Gabriel Joewhea, a protester who identified himself as Odell’s brother, demanded that Rev. Giddings give an account of her death. He recounted being with his sister earlier on May 20, 2019, before she went to write her WASSCE exam, only to later hear of her death.
According to Joewhea, a security guard assigned to Rev. Giddings’ compound admitted to the police that Odell came to the home of Rev. Giddings the night she became unconscious. The security guard informed the family that Odell was taken to the ELWA hospital by Rev. Giddings and another individual, where she was pronounced dead.
Veronica Kollie, believed to be Odell’s mother, recounted being informed by a teacher named Henry early Tuesday, May 21, 2019, that her daughter was lying unconscious at the ELWA hospital and needed an operation. She later learned that Odell had passed away. Madam Kollie explained that the next morning, she was informed by the ELWA hospital authority that Odell had died but that her body was in a terrible condition and could not be seen until the intervention of the Liberia National Police.
A medical report from the hospital suggests two possible causes of death: excessive bleeding from the ears (Left Otorrhagia) and sexual assault/fall, listed with a question mark. The family and supporters continue to seek justice for Odell Sherman, hoping for clarity and closure in her tragic death.
