Jamaica news roundup: deadly crashes, missing Kingston mother and child, Golding assets disclosed

Jamaica’s road toll remained a leading concern on Sunday, June 7, 2026, after two separate three-vehicle crashes in St. Elizabeth left a man and a seven-month-old child dead. The National Road Safety Council said seven people had died on the roads in the first seven days of June, bringing the year’s total to 117, compared with 165 at the same point last year.

Police said 59-year-old Lelin Johnson died after the Toyota Corolla he was driving was involved in a Saturday night collision along Content Main Road. Reports indicated that a Tundra motor truck, travelling in the same direction as a Knutsford Express coach, moved to overtake and entered the path of Johnson’s car. The Corolla later hit the coach, and Johnson was thrown from the vehicle before being pronounced dead at hospital.

Earlier that day, seven-month-old Kamar Forbes died after a crash on Pepper Main Road. Police said he and his 18-year-old mother were among four passengers in a Toyota Voxy that collided with a Nissan pickup while turning onto a community road. The Nissan then hit a Ford pickup. The mother remained in critical condition.

Police also appealed for help finding 20-year-old Phoebe Watson and her seven-month-old daughter, Raina Walters, of Lower Elliston Road, Kingston 16. They were last seen at home about 8:30 a.m. on Saturday, May 30. Anyone with information was asked to call Elliston Road police at 876-928-1261, 119, or the nearest police station.

In Manchester, investigators probed the discovery of an unidentified man’s body in bushes at Richmond and the death of 83-year-old Michael Williams, also called Mike, who reportedly fell from a water-tank stand in George’s Valley. Police also referenced Robert Doors, who died days earlier after steel fell from a delivery truck in Balvin Heights, Mandeville.

The Jamaica Gazette published Opposition Leader Mark Golding’s 2024 statutory declaration, listing about J$39.9 million in income and roughly J$142.2 million in assets, including securities, vehicles, receivables, cash, savings and life insurance. No Jamaican real estate or mortgages were declared.

Other reports covered Kingston caterer Paula Ming’s appeal for help funding a knee replacement costing more than J$2 million; Senator Floyd Morris’s criticism of container-home delays for Hurricane Melissa victims; calls for accountability at the Firearm Licensing Authority; labour-policy discussions involving Minister Pearnel Charles Jr.; a legal mentorship lunch-and-learn initiative; and Culture Minister Olivia “Babsy” Grange’s planned September launch of a cultural practitioners institute.