Family want answers about the beheading of 74-y-o farmer in St James

WESTERN BUREAU:

Two weeks after 74-year-old farmer Anthony Thompson was brutally murdered by intruders at his home in Chatsworth district in Maroon Town, St James, his relatives are still awaiting answers from the investigations into his death.

Thompson, affectionately called ‘Tony,’ was beheaded at his farm on the night of September 9 by an unknown person or persons, who had appears to have entered his property without his permission. His remains were found by family members days later, on September 12.

His sister, Greta Ennis, told The Gleaner that she and the rest of Thompson’s extended family have not received any updates from the police since they processed the murder scene on the day the body was found.

“It happened between the Wednesday evening and Thursday morning, and the body was found on the Sunday morning. The police went there and they took the body to Montego Bay, and from that time I have not heard anything,” she said, while noting that the police have their contact information.

“They have not called.”

Ennis said the family is now wondering how long it will take for them to get an update, because they are anxious to know what is happening.

“I do not know if they are making any progress, and I do not know what the police are doing. I thought they would have called and said something,” she said.

Ennis told The Gleaner that while Chatsworth has had multiple instances of praedial larceny over the years, her brother’s killing marks the first time a murder has taken place in the community. She said her relatives are not coping well with the tragedy that has befallen them.

“People have been stealing cows, goats, and ground provisions from a long time, but it is the first time they ever murder anybody here. What I gather is that it was probably somebody he knows, and it must be that he shouted at them, and they thought the best way to silence him was to kill him,” she said. “From I heard of his death I don’t sleep, and right now, right through the night, I am having headaches.”

Attempts to get an update on the status of the police’s investigations were unsucessful, as repeated calls to the telephone of Senior Superintendent of Police Eron Samuels, the police commander for St James, went unanswered.

Meanwhile, Assistant Commissioner of Police Glenford Miller, the commander for Area One, which includes the St James Division, said that while the family should be proactive in seeking updates in the case, he always urges his officers to call affected persons or their relatives whenever updates are available.

“In a situation like that, if the relatives did not hear anything, they should just visit the station and find out what is the latest in relation to the investigation,” said Miller. “However, I try to advise my officers, as best as possible, to call persons and give them feedback to let them know what is happening, if there are any changes, because sometimes we might have situations where we would have apprehended someone in relation to the incident.”

Up to September 10, the St James Police Division has recorded 45 murders, which is four more than the corresponding period last year. Last year, the parish recorded 58 murders, the lowest number since 2005.

christopher.thomas@gleanerjm.com