Missing St James cabbie believed beheaded

WESTERN BUREAU:

A pall of gloom now hangs over Greenwood in St James following the discovery of a headless body believed to be that of 74-year-old taxi operator Leslie Harding, who went missing from the neighbouring Long Bay community two weeks ago.

Reports from the Barrett Town police are that about 4 p.m. on Friday, residents in Greenwood alerted the police to an odour coming from bushes, along a dirt track, which leads to the Greenwood Great House.

The residents went to investigate and stumbled upon the headless body of a man, which was in an advanced state of decomposition.

The police said the body was shirtless, clad in a pair of blue jeans pants and a pair of grey and green slippers.

A further search of the scene led to the discovery of the victim’s head not far from the body, along with dentures, test glasses and a blue and yellow striped shirt.

The scene was processed and the body removed to the morgue for post-mortem.

Investigators told The Sunday Gleaner that they have reason to believe that the body was that of the taxi operator, who had been reported missing at the Barrett Town Police Station.

One man, who gave his name as Martin, told T he Sunday Gleaner that he was a cousin of the missing taxi driver, and that he went missing on January 31, but a report was not filed with the police until a day later.

“Everybody did a look fi find him at first, but yuh know how tings a go wid the murders dem inna St James, so after so much days passed, everybody just give up hope, and see yah now, dem come find him dead,” said the relative, who believes the body to be Harding’s.

“Him is a man who run him taxi and never trouble anybody, and based on how mi a hear, is like dem rob him, den dem kill him and tek weh him car.”

He continued, “Him is a man who everybody love. Him kind to him family and is always willing to give yuh a drive, even wen yuh nuh have no fare. Him neva deserve fi dead suh. Dem jus tek him go kill him inna bush like him a dog.”

The St James police are yet to establish a motive for the murder.

“We are still carrying out a series of investigations and hope to gather some leads soon,” one senior cop stated.

Since the start of the year, 34 persons have been murdered in the parish of St James.

– Hopeton Bucknor