Convicted sex offender nabbed as police find body believed to be missing schoolteacher

A convicted sex offender has been held in the case of missing primary school teacher Danielle Anglin, whose body the police believe they discovered in a densely vegetated area in Salt River in Clarendon, on Monday.

Deputy Commissioner of Police in charge of crime Fitz Bailey said the police are awaiting a forensics report to officially identify the body found in Torrington district. 

He said the area was the "last identifiable location that Anglin was in". 

On May 14, Anglin's parents, with whom she lived, reported her missing to the St Catherine South police.

Anglin was last seen on May 13, about 5:50 a.m., leaving home for the St Peter Claver Primary School where she taught. 

Bailey said through the use of technology and forensics, a motor vehicle of interest was identified and later on its driver, who is now in custody.

Those efforts, he said, also led to the Salt River area where human skeletal remains believed to be Anglin's were found about 6:30 a.m. today. 

"Given the weight of the evidence collected thus far, the suspect in the matter has since given a statement to the police admitting his involvement," Bailey said in a video statement. 

"We believe that she was killed the same day when she disappeared. She was picked up by the suspect ...I can also say that with the help of JamaicaEye, we were able to identify a specific route which the motor car that she was in travelled," he added. JamaicaEye, is a national CCTV surveillance programme. 

The suspect, who operated a rideshare service, was charged in Jamaica in 2015 for sexual offences and was convicted in Antigua and Barbuda for sex crimes and later deported to Jamaica, the senior policeman said. 

"We are satisfied and we are convinced that we have the right person in custody," Bailey said. 

The investigative team included the St Andrew South Criminal Investigation Branch, the Communication Forensics and Cybercrimes Division, the Scenes of Crime, and the Criminal Investigation Branch. 

Anglin was a grade four teacher at the St Peter Claver Primary. 

She did not turn up for work on May 13. 

On the morning Danielle went missing, her mother Denise Anglin, said she was running late for work. She said her daughter usually takes the bus from Naggo Head to work and a taxi up to their house that they have been living in for the last three months. But that morning, Denise said she heard she was picked up by a taxi that she had used at least two times before.

“I want back my daughter alive, anything it costs … mi want fi see her alive,” the anxious mother told The Gleaner before breaking down in tears.

The mother of four said Danielle is her only daughter and they had a close-knit relationship.

READ MORE: 'I want my daughter alive'

Persons who have witnessed the murder or suspicious activities are encouraged to share information with the police promptly. This includes a description of what they saw or heard to Crime Stop at 311, the NIB Tipline at 811, or the nearest police station.

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