FIRST IN THE HISTORY OF JAMAICA

Mother Arrested After Son’s Body Found In Suitcase
Published: Monday | January 16, 201228 Comments
Nedburn Thaffe, Gleaner Writer

The Police are expected to lay charges against a Canadian woman and her Jamaican spouse following the grim discovery of what was believed to be the decomposing body of their two-year-old son.

The child was found tucked away in a suitcase at the couple’s Kingston home yesterday.

According to police, a pathologist report has since disclosed that the two-year-old boy died from natural causes. The Gleaner understands that the mother has admitted to police that the child died as a result of ackee poisoning and the body had been tucked away in a room in the house since October 30 last year.

It was said that residents alerted the police yesterday after the couple failed to provide details on the whereabouts of their son who they (residents) have not seen for more than two months.

Told police child was ok

According to one neighbour, on the arrival of the police at the couple’s home along Clifton Avenue in Kingston yesterday, the couple told police that their son was “OK”.

It is still unclear what else was said, but The Gleaner understands that the police were in the process of leaving the compound when they were persuaded to get a search warrant and make further checks of the compound.

“My understanding is that a family member later asked the police who were early on the scene to get a search warrant and search the house. The search was later carried out and the decomposing body was found in one of the rooms,” said Constable June Williams, who was on her way from the house when The Gleaner arrived yesterday.

“She told me that the child eat some ackee for dinner on the night of October 30 last year and went to bed,” the constable said of her conversation with the mother. “In the morning they realised that he was not moving and concluded that he was dead.”

Williams, who said she was a family friend, added: “She said they were there with the corpse wondering what to do and that’s when they decided to put it in the suitcase.”

Williams said when the couple were questioned as to why they did not report the incident, they disclosed that “they did not trust no one”.

“(They are) severely paranoid, they do not believe in going to the doctor, in their child talking to or taking anything from anyone. The child was neither immunised nor registered,” she said, adding that the child was born at home where he was delivered by the 32-year-old father.

Accused of child abuse

According to Williams, the Canadian woman, also 32, has been fingered in incidents of child abuse in Canada which resulted in the state taking custody of her children.

It has been disclosed that the man has been admitted at hospital under police guard after he was attacked by residents following the discovery at the home around 3:30 yesterday afternoon.

The woman has since been arrested by police from the Hunts Bay Police Station where she is expected to be questioned and charged later today.

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