2 Active Older Men Murdered in Less than 2 Weeks

Violence against older people is a global issue and today, a joint release from the Council of Ageing and the Ministry of Human Development condemned the neglect, abandonment and abuse of older people. Leo Skeen is the second active older man to have been killed in less than two weeks. Just last Thursday, Geoffrey Crawford was attacked inside his home just outside Crooked Tree Village and his body buried in a shallow grave in a remote area of Biscayne. The release says that these cold-hearted crimes against this vulnerable population have to stop, and the perpetrators caught and brought to justice.

Ix-chel Poot

Ix-chel Poot, Executive Director, Council of Ageing

“These two cases have been very startling and alarming at the council because we have seen where older people have been targeted and have been victims of crimes and violent crimes. The council, we normally speak about cases of elder abuse which is involved with care giving, neglect which is a thing that  continues to be a problem within our society. But we have not seen this level of targeted violence towards older persons before and it is definitely startling, it is definitely concerning especially because this is not a case where we can say maybe the person was in the wrong place at the wrong time. These are older people who were within their own homes, within the safety of their own homes. These are people who have contributed to the development of their community, of their country; they have worked, they have a right to be able to enjoy the rest of their lives in peace, without fear of threat or violence. So these two cases have really shocked what is the normal way of doing things for us and working with older persons.”