Morvant woman died from gunshot wound

An autopsy on the body of 29-year-old Shannon Whyte concluded that she died from a single gunshot wound to the head.

Enquiries are still continuing to determine whether the wound was self-inflicted or she was murdered.

The body of Whyte, a former Newsday employee, was found by a male relative in a barrel filled with water at the relative's Mon Repos, Morvant, home last Thursday night.

The 31-year-old man was questioned by police but eventually released.

Investigators said an autopsy at the Forensic Science Centre, St James, on Monday afternoon ruled the cause of death was a gunshot wound, as opposed to earlier speculation that she may have drowned in the barrel.

Police said homicide investigators and pathologists could determine if a person's cause of death was murder or suicide depending on the angle of the bullet wound and the bullet's trajectory (direction of movement).