Police probe Manchester woman's death as security guard found dead in St Ann

Police from Manchester, St Elizabeth and St Ann are working together on an investigation after 40-year-old Manchester woman Kadisha McLeod, who had been reported missing, and 50-year-old security guard Maurice Sannell were both found dead on Thursday, June 11, 2026. The two were said to have been in a relationship, and investigators had reportedly wanted to question Sannell about McLeod's disappearance after she was reported missing on Tuesday, June 9.

McLeod's body was reportedly located about 9:30 a.m. in a field in the Peppers area of St Elizabeth. Police were alerted after a farmer heading to his field came upon the body. Investigators spent several hours processing the location and collecting evidence.

Earlier that day, St Ann police responded to a scene in Brunstone, where Sannell was found dead with what investigators described as a gunshot wound to the head. A firearm was reportedly recovered near him. Police are treating his death as a suspected suicide, and reports said he had sent messages to friends and church groups indicating that he planned to take his own life. Authorities have not yet determined the full circumstances of either death and are asking anyone with useful information to contact police.

In another St Elizabeth matter, police said the decomposing body of 64-year-old Alton Tanner of Holt district, near Santa Cruz, was found at his home about 10:00 a.m. on Wednesday. A relative discovered the body after residents noticed a foul smell. Police said Tanner, who lived alone, was last seen alive on Sunday and had complained of pain. No foul play was observed, and an autopsy is pending.

Police also reported that a man was arrested after a search on Sandy Park Road in Kingston 6 on Wednesday, June 10, allegedly uncovered a 9mm pistol, two magazines and 39 rounds of ammunition.

Senior police sources also warned of a rise in organised gun attacks carried out by groups of four or more men across several parishes over the past eight months. They linked the pattern to criminal networks, reprisals and several deadly incidents, including shootings in Linstead, Spanish Town, Manchester, St Andrew, St Catherine and Kingston. INDECOM is expected to review Tuesday's fatal police shooting of five men in Bog Walk Gorge, in keeping with procedures for police killings.