Torso found in St Elizabeth bushes as Mandeville death and Negril killing fuel alarm

Residents of Aberdine and northern St Elizabeth were shaken after a torso was found Thursday night along a bush track in a remote part of the community. Preliminary reports indicate that shortly after 9:00 p.m., a resident stumbled on the remains and called the police.

People's National Party Councillor Audi Myers, representing the Silo division, said the discovery is deeply troubling in an area where crime is usually rare. "Because we are in an area where there is very low crime, it is really troubling. It is distasteful and the residents are concerned and we don't know who it is as yet," he said of the unidentified body. Myers added that officials are checking whether anyone from nearby areas has been reported missing, though no such reports had emerged. "I hope the police get to the bottom of this thing. I am deeply concerned and I hope the perpetrator will be held," he said.

In Manchester, officers were on scene Friday morning after passers-by found a decomposing body in bushes on Wind Road near the Mandeville Infant School. Reports put the discovery at about 8:00 a.m., with police arriving at 8:17 a.m. The victim appeared to be a man found face down beneath a grill, wearing a red sweater and black shorts.

A People's National Party–affiliated diaspora group is calling on Prime Minister Andrew Holness to remove Dr Andrew Wheatley from Cabinet after investigators recommended he be charged with illicit enrichment. The group said Friday that the allegations are serious enough to prevent Wheatley from credibly continuing on behalf of Jamaicans, describing his retention as "an abomination" that would leave an indelible stain on the Government. An Integrity Commission report tabled Wednesday in Parliament concluded Wheatley possessed assets disproportionate to lawful earnings of approximately $164 million without a satisfactory explanation. The director of corruption prosecution has determined he should face four criminal charges, including illicit enrichment, knowingly making false statements in statutory declarations, and failing to provide information as required by law. Wheatley, Member of Parliament for St Catherine South Central and Minister without Portfolio in the Office of the Prime Minister with responsibility for science, technology and special projects, rejected the report's conclusions in a detailed statement, accusing investigators of ignoring evidence he said would have significantly changed the outcome. The diaspora group warned his continuation would be an international embarrassment, stating: "The tarnish of having a member of Jamaica's cabinet charged with illicit enrichment and is still carrying out the duties in the name of the Jamaican government is a stain upon the reputation of Jamaica and an international embarrassment."

In Negril, Westmoreland, residents and business stakeholders again voiced fear after 79-year-old yoga teacher Francis Simoneta Johnson of Trombone Villa was found dead on the floor of her room on Tuesday, with bruised marks on her neck and nose and signs of violence in the room. According to a Jamaica Constabulary Force release, she was found inside her room about 7:00 a.m.; her body was taken to Savannah-la-Mar General Hospital, where she was officially pronounced dead. Police have classified the death as murder. Johnson is the second high-profile person killed in Negril in under a month, after prominent restaurant operator Nashan McGiban was shot and killed at his business during an armed robbery on May 22. A craft vendor told reporters Thursday: "The authorities need to step in immediately and they fix the crime problem because we can't afford to lose the girl to violence." Following a similar uptick in violence in 2023, neighbourhood watch groups, the Negril Chamber of Commerce and civic organisations staged a peaceful march demanding stronger policing. The chamber had also invited National Security Minister Dr Harris Chang to a closed-door meeting, after which Chamber President Elaine Alen Bradley said stakeholders were comfortable with assurances given, including that the police commissioner would engage with them. With killings rising again, stakeholders warn that a resort town generating nearly US$1 billion annually and contributing about 24 per cent of the island's tourism traffic cannot afford further violence. The craft vendor added: "Niggril is a gem that should not be allowed to be further tarnished."