Jamaica Observer retracts headline after false link to Diane Smith case

The Jamaica Observer has issued a formal apology and correction over a story it ran on Monday, 13 July 2026 under the headline "Dead girl's ghost haunts Dayton."

The newspaper accepts that the title may have wrongly suggested Dr Campbell bore any connection to, or responsibility for, the rape and killing of Diane Smith. The Observer states plainly that any such reading is completely unfounded.

At the time Diane Smith was attacked and killed, Dr Campbell was still an infant. He has never been implicated, suspected, or linked in any manner to that horrific crime.

The publication also confirms that Dr Campbell did not repeat or support any claim tying a person to Diane Smith's rape and murder, whether those allegations had been debunked or not.

The Jamaica Observer offers its sincere apology to Dr Campbell for the distress, embarrassment, and reputational damage caused by the article, and withdraws any defamatory meaning that could be drawn from it.