An abducted 17-year-old girl was thrown from a moving vehicle along a roadway in the rural community of Above Rocks, St Catherine, late Tuesday night. Authorities say the teen was kidnapped for several hours, and when she was found, she was in a weakened state.
The brazen abduction happened around 5 p.m. in the Cross Roads area, where she took the ill-fated taxi. The teen, who left her home around 4 p.m., was heading for extra classes in Half-Way Tree. According to reports, another woman was sitting inside the car when the teen entered. A few moments later, the woman pulled a bag over the girl’s head.
The teen seemingly passed out as she does not recall what happened afterwards. She said she regained consciousness later that night when she was thrown from the moving vehicle along Parkes Road in Above Rocks. Some residents witnessed the vehicle driving through the area, and the moment the student was suddenly falling from the vehicle before it drove away.
They were unsure of what had happened and rushed over to help. Upon closer inspection, the girl was extremely weak and confused as she lay on the ground. They said they saw her struggling to remain conscious, leaving residents to believe that she may have been drugged.
“From me look pon her mi know seh dem give her some form a drugs. As she drank the water and little a the orange juice she start vomit up and a so she revive back,” a resident said, explaining that she gradually became more responsive.
The police were alerted, and some offered water and juice, hoping it would help her regain some strength, while they waited for the authorities. However, she vomited up the contents. She was later transported to the Kingston Public Hospital.
Senior Superintendent Randy Sweeney, head of the St Andrew North Police Division, reported that the teen was so disoriented that she could not provide contact details for her family when she was found. However, police were later able to locate her mother and inform her about the situation. Reports say she is currently receiving treatment, but it remains unknown if she was drugged or sexually assaulted during the ordeal.
Residents were left angry about the incident, with one expressing regret that they did not get to punish the abductors. A resident said that if the girl had sounded an alarm while in the vehicle, they would have attacked and captured the abductors because there is only one road to enter and exit the community.
Another resident expressed joy that the teen was found alive, highlighting that many are found dead. Residents are also concerned about criminals coming into their community. They said they were not accustomed to such crimes in their quiet farming district. One long-time resident said that in their 26 years of living in the community, they have never witnessed such a thing.
The incident has also raised concerns about new methods criminals may be using to deceive victims. One resident explained that the presence of a woman inside a taxi could make passengers feel safer about entering the vehicle, but when women are working with the criminals, it can be problematic.
Community members warned that they do not want their community to become a place where criminals carry out such activities. Police say investigations into the incident are ongoing.