Law enforcement in Jamaica is investigating the death of the spouse of ex-People’s National Party Member of Parliament Jolyan Silvera after new information has come to light.
It was initially reported that Silvera’s wife, Melissa, passed away on Nov. 10 and died in her sleep, according to the Jamaica Observer. Now, it has been determined that she had been shot.
“After the post-mortem, it was discovered that she was shot at least three times,” Fitz Bailey, Deputy Commissioner of Police who oversees crime and security, told the outlet over the weekend. “We just started an investigation in the matter. We became aware of it yesterday [Friday] evening, and we’re doing our investigation. That’s as much as we can say.”
According to the report, a police source said the responding officers were under fire for missing the “marks of violence” on her body at the scene and called for them to be investigated.
Melissa’s death comes after the passing of their son in 2017. Reports say Justin slipped and drowned in the pool at the couple’s Stony Hill, St Andrew residence. The incident resulted in an outpouring of love on social media.
“My sincere condolences to Joylan Silvera on the loss of his son,” Jamaica Prime Minister Andrew Holness said at the time, per reports.
Silvera’s attorney released a statement telling the public not to jump to conclusions about his client, who tied the knot with his wife in 2015. Peter Champagnie said that Silvera has been working with the police and “is not considered a suspect,” according to the Jamaica Gleaner.
“While I appreciate the need for transparency in so far as the public’s interest is concerned in this most unfortunate situation, I would urge caution upon those who would want to go beyond the boundaries of facts on social media,” the statement added, per the outlet. “One must be sensitive to all the circumstances, particularly as they relate to the young children of the family. The police investigation must be allowed to proceed without any prejudice to anyone.”
Separately, a U.S. Navy officer was charged in October with capital murder and kidnapping for the death of People’s National Party Member of Parliament Phillip Paulwell’s 10-month-old daughter and the child’s mother, Toshyna Patterson. The funeral for the Jamaican lawmaker’s family was held in Portmore, St. Catherine, on Sunday.
