Killing of Jamaican mother in New York leaves kids in limbo

A 40-year-old Jamaican woman, Tamara Rowe, was stabbed to death inside her Bronx apartment on Saturday night, leaving the fate of her two small children in limbo.

The children, ages 11 and two years old, are currently in the care of the New York Administration of Children Services (ACS), but efforts are being made to have them placed with relatives or a friend of the family.

The Gleaner understands that a court hearing on the welfare of the children was held yesterday, but the outcome has not been disclosed as the children are underage.

The Jamaican Consulate in New York told The Gleaner that it was aware of the children’s situation and was working to resolve the issue in their best interest.

“In accordance with our duty of care to Jamaican nationals abroad, we are making enquiries regarding the welfare of the children affected by this devastating event,” Alsion Wilson, Jamaica’s consul general in New York, told the newspaper in a statement.

The consulate indicated that it stands ready to provide all necessary support, including coordination with the appropriate social services and, where applicable, with family members.

ACTIVE INVESTIGATION

According to the consul general, the consulate is actively investigating the circumstances surrounding Rowe’s death and is in close contact with law enforcement authorities to obtain the relevant details.

The consulate has also appealed to members of the public with information about the incident to provide such information to law enforcement.

Jamaican non-profit organisation Leaf of Life is also involved in the matter and is working along with the consulate and the Riverdale Children’s Theatre to see about the welfare of the children.

Head of Leaf of Life, Jennifer Chalmers, said the priority was to have the children release from ACS and placed in the custody of family members or close family friends.

DOMESTIC DISPUTE

Police and media reports are that Rowe was found in her apartment on East 232nd Street, in the Wakefield section of the Bronx, with stab wounds around 8:35 p.m. on Saturday night.

According to police reports, her death stemmed from a domestic dispute. The report stated that a sibling to one of the people involved in the fight called the police.

The police further reported that Rowe lived in the apartment with her boyfriend and her children.

According to news reports on News 12 TV, surveillance footage from the building’s security cameras showed Rowe’s boyfriend running down the stairs and out of the apartment around the time of the incident.

Police personnel from the 47th Precinct, who are investigating the killing, said Rowe was found with stab wounds to the chest and right arm. She was reportedly covered in blood and was rushed by ambulance to Montefiore Hospital where she died of her wounds.

The police have not disclosed a motive for her killing.

Rowe worked for a time in the credit department at The Gleaner’s North Street, Kingston offices before migrating to the United States. Residents of her Bronx, New York community said that at the time of her death, she was working at a restaurant in the area.

The couple lived in Three East Greater Portmore before they migrated to the US.

“We are in shock. Can’t believe the news we got Sunday ... . Heard from him (suspect) last week ... . It appears that frustration made things complicated,” a resident of their Portmore community, who knew both well, told The Gleaner. “True the papers thing, him nah really work and everything just went south. They were cool people. He migrated first and she went up with the children afterwards.”

Rowe is the second Jamaica-born woman to die violently in New York City within the past weeks.

Tamika Powell, 36 years old, was killed in Brooklyn within the vicinity of the Barclay’s Center last Wednesday when she was shot in the head by a lone masked gunman.

Powell leaves two daughters, ages 11 and 13 years old.

In that case no arrest has been made.

editorial@gleanerjm.com