The sister of a man found stabbed and floating in the waters of St. David's says she has been overwhelmed with support from the community.

Charlene Gilbert says she has received calls from people offering support and assistance with the funeral arrangements for her "well loved" brother Freddie.

A source close to the investigation has confirmed the 54-year-old was stabbed, although Ms Gilbert said the family have only been told he suffered a chest wound.

The post-mortem examinations of Frederick Gilbert and Maxwell Brangman continued yesterday, with detectives unable to disclose the cause of deaths and whether the two incidents are linked.

Earlier this week however, Chief Inspector Antoine Daniels told the media: "Foul play has not been ruled out in either death."

Yesterday officers from the Bermuda Police Service Marine Unit searched the waters of Great Bay for weapons and forensic evidence.

Mr. Gilbert's body was discovered floating in the water behind the Black Horse Tavern at 8.20 a.m. on Monday, just over 24 hours after Mr. Brangman's badly-burnt remains were found in a nearby concrete hut at Burcher's Point.

Both victims were odd-job men in the usually quiet St. David's area and are said to have used the shed as a makeshift home. Firefighters discovered Mr. Brangman's body as they attempted to extinguish a blaze at the hut in the early hours of Sunday.

While Mr. Brangman's sister Lana Flood has told The Royal Gazette she believes the circumstances of his death are suspicious, Ms Gilbert said last night she did "not want to speculate". She is however, going to contact Mrs. Flood in an attempt to establish the two friends' last movements.

"Until we get some answers from the Police there is nothing more we can do, but I hope me and Lana can try and piece together what happened," she said.

"I just hope we can be supportive of each other, but the truth may never come out."

Mr. Gilbert leaves a father, George, brothers Reginald and Rudolph, and sisters Sheral and Charlene. Originally from Somerset, he was married once but divorced in the early 1990s and has no children.

Ms Gilbert, 50, an accounts manager, said: "Frederick was well loved by the family. He and I were close as we were the two younger ones. He was very cheery and was like a free spirit. He was not a disruptive person but a very loving, peaceful person who did not like confrontation.

"At the moment we are just taking each day as it comes. We are going by what the Police are telling us, but right now we don't know much of anything so I don't want to speculate until we get some concrete answers."

Ms Gilbert said the family has been touched by the support from the people of St. David's.

"They have been wonderful," she said. "I've had people calling me I don't even know, offering to help me do things and help out, such as someone singing at the funeral.

"Frederick was loved in the community, and we are thinking of having a tribute service to incorporate St. David's and the family."

Government MP for St. David's, Lovitta Foggo, said yesterday: "My condolences go out to both of the men's families."

She described Mr. Gilbert as "very quiet" and said Mr. Brangman was "a very well-read person".

"I have known Max for about 20 years, as long as I have lived in St. David's," she said.

"I haven't encountered one individual who has had anything negative to say about either of these gentlemen. The whole community here is saddened by their loss."

While Ms Foggo said she did not wish to speculate on the cause of the two men's deaths, she said constituents have reported an increase in crime in the area to her.

"It feels like the community is pulling together to see how we can address what appears to be an increase in crime," said Ms Foggo. "As their representative, I am hoping I will be able to meet with them as a group with a view to doing our best to help keep St. David's crime-free."

Anyone with information on Mr. Gilbert and Mr. Brangman's deaths should contact Police on 299-4315 or the confidential CrimeStoppers hotline: 1-800-623-8477.