Police in two parishes are investigating the deaths of two members of the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF), both discovered within hours of each other on Wednesday. The incidents occurred in St Elizabeth and St James, with one of them appearing to be a suicide.
In the first case, the body of Constable Arnold Wilson was found hanging from a tree. The discovery was made at his home in the Williamsfield district, St Elizabeth. Wilson was assigned to the team at the Half-Way Tree Police Station in St Andrew. According to reports, he was on leave at the time of his death.
According to reports, the 43-year-old officer had recently lost a close relative and had taken time off from work. Around 5:30 p.m., a neighbour made the shocking discovery after noticing Wilson hanging by a rope that was attached to an ackee tree limb in his yard.
The neighbour immediately called the police, who rushed to the scene. Investigators later processed the area as part of their ongoing probe. It is unclear if the death of the relative had deeply affected Wilson. However, police say his passing is being treated as a suspected case of suicide.
Just hours earlier, in another part of the island, a police corporal was found dead at her home in St James. She has been identified as 59-year-old Corporal Bibzie Foster of Brooks Close in Granville.
According to initial reports, Corporal Bibzie Foster was on pre-retirement leave when she was found unresponsive at her home on Wednesday morning. She was rushed to the hospital but was later pronounced dead.
Reports say that Foster had been preparing to retire in November after years of service. Her passing was later confirmed by the JCF’s Corporate Communications Unit.
The consecutive deaths have left the police force and the wider community in a state of shock. Many Jamaicans are expressing concern over the rising number of fatalities, particularly the suicide cases, which are increasingly making headlines.