CASE student drowns at campus beach
Published:Wednesday | April 10, 2024 | 12:09 AMGareth Davis Sr/Gleaner Writer
Passley Gardens, Portland:
Relatives are 19-year-old Demario Jones, a second-year student of the College of Agriculture Science and Education (CASE) in Portland, are struggling to come to grips with his passing after he drowned on Tuesday.
Jones, who was scheduled to leave the island for the United States on a work-training programme in May, which is an ongoing arrangement between CASE in Jamaica and an overseas institution, was pursuing a bachelor’s degree in agriculture.
His mother, Carlene Williams Jones, said the loss is unbearable.
“I was at school – Bellevue Primary – when I got the call that my son was missing and that he had gone swimming at a beach at CASE,” said Williams Jones, who is a schoolteacher.
“He was well-loved and it is the biggest loss to this family and there can never be another one ... . This [tragedy] has affected his friends at CASE and many of them were seen sitting under trees and talking among themselves. We never expected this and it has really dealt us a big blow,” she added.
Bishop Joslin Williams, who met with the grief-stricken family at their home in Snow Hill, Portland, hours after the tragedy, told The Gleaner that it was not easy offering comforting words for those affected.
“I am praying with the family, a family that I am closely knitted to, and it is not an easy task,” he said. “They all know God, and in time, they will heal. Demario was a good person, who attended church and he is going to be missed by his friends at CASE and also those living in the Snow Hill community.:
According to the police, Jones and three friends were at a beach at CASE’s West Campus, when he reportedly got into difficulties after entering the water.
One of his friends reportedly jumped in and tried to assist, but he, too, got into difficulties.
The police were called in and Jones’ body was later seen washed up near the shore.
Both students were taken to the Port Antonio Hospital, where Demario was pronounced dead and the other student was undergoing treatment. up to last night.
CASE President Dr Derrick Deslandes said that the institution is saddened by the tragedy and has enacted its trauma and grief counselling teams.
“We are currently providing counselling to students and staff. ... We will assess the counselling needs of his immediate community and ensure they get the support needed,” Deslandes said.