A 41- year old man died from a severe beating over  the Memorial Day weekend.

His lifeless body was found behind a store in Vaitogi on Saturday morning.

His mother told KHJ News that she was awoken early Saturday morning by police officers who came to her house at Iliili and asked that she accompany them to the hospital to help identify a body they picked up that morning.

She said her son had left home on Friday afternoon and that was the last time she saw him.

Her son was known to leave home for one to two days but would always return.

The distressed mother said when she arrived at the hospital  Saturday morning her son had been taken to the morgue.  When she saw his face, she almost fainted.  She said his face was black and swollen and she could hardly recognize him.

“I cried uncontrollably for my son and how his life ended.  How could people be so cruel?”

Police have told her that her son may have been beaten somewhere else and then left behind the store in Vaitogi.

When contacted yesterday Commissioner of Public Safety Taaga Saite Moliga said he had not been informed of such a case, as he’d just returned from off island.

The mother said police have told her that three suspects were taken in for questioning but they were still looking for others who may have been involved.