Infant brothers murdered - Younger boy’s father suspected of deadly act

A blanket of grief hangs over the quiet farming community of Swamp in Moneague, St Ann, following the stabbing death of two minors allegedly by one of the children's fathers on Tuesday.

As police combed the scene yesterday, those who know the suspect, who is in police custody, are finding it hard to believe that the devoted father would turn on his one-year-old son Amir Saunders, and his three-year-old stepson Shamir Henry.

"This strange bad. This little youth nah do dem ting deh because him take care of both of dem. All dat yute do is sell him cray fish to provide for him family. A just couple weeks ago him save and keep a big birthday party for him son. No man sumpn wrong," said one resident.

Commanding officer for the St Ann Police Division, Acting Senior Superintendent Rohan Elliott, said the police were notified by the boys' mother that Saunders went into a rage and stabbed the toddlers.

"Based on our observations so far, the female and [suspect's name], the father of the younger child, consumed ganja tea and we also saw evidence of that. After that he began acting hysterical and reached for a scissors and started stabbing the children who were in a crib. She ran out the house and made her way to the police station and made a report. When the officers got here, they saw [the man] at the back of the premises and none of the children were seen," he said.

The bodies of the children were located at the back of the premises minutes after 10 a.m. yesterday, with the police getting support from the Jamaica Defence Force. Elliott said charges are yet to be laid as the investigations remain in an early stage.

Standing among the crowd was the suspect's father, who said he received a frantic call from his son's partner who told him that his son was behaving erratically after consuming ganja tea that she had prepared.

"My son don't smoke or dem ting deh. The entire community will tell yuh dat. She tell mi say a she drink it. Same time [his son's name] come pon di phone and say 'Daddy come help mi nuh man, from mi drink di tea mi nuh feel good'. Mi charter one car and come same time," he said.

The man said that when he arrived, he found his son at the back of the yard laying face down, with bruises all over his body. Residents also reported hearing the suspect crying out for help sometime after dusk on Tuesday, but initially thought he was having a dispute with his father.

"Him mouth and him face full a dirt and him couldn't move. A the police carry him to the vehicle fi show yuh. Mi son wasn't conscious and you can see that he was badly beaten. Somebody beat him up. Mi son was so sick that mi wet him up with a hose and put the hose down him throat and a so him vomit up a whole heap a tings," the man said.

He described his son as "a soft man" who listens to his spouse.

"Mi son a grow the first bwoy from him about four months, suh him take the two a dem and mind dem. Mi son soft like him madda," he added.

Stacy, a neighbour who often cared for the children, said the toddlers regularly visited her shop and called her 'Mommy' at church.

"A we help take care a them, mi see them every day," she recalled. "Mi bawl last night (Tuesday) so till mi sick because a pickney dem weh me used to." She had joined other residents in a desperate search for the boys who were initially reported as missing. With flashlights cutting through the reeds and voices calling out into the dark, they scoured bushes and a pond until after midnight, but found nothing. Days earlier, the community had hosted a back-to-school treat for the boys. But those memories have been replaced by grief.

"Dem innocent, dem never deserve this," Stacy said.

Elliott urged persons to utilise the domestic violence centres as a means of quelling disputes.

"Regrettably we are dealing with the death of two innocent children. We do believe the couple had a dispute leading up the incident and we want to encourage the communities in St Ann to utilise the domestic violence intervention centre to resolve their differences. We also have the restorative justice centre as well, where persons can go and get assistance in dealing with situations,' he said.

"We also want to encourage persons to stay away from drugs. This incident shows the type of impact that a concoction can cause on the mind and the brain. So we want to encourage persons to stay away from these type of mixtures and other drugs," Elliott added.