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KINGSTON, Jamaica CMC – The Jamaica Police Force is being criticized by the family of a Canadian woman who was found dead in the northern parish of St. Ann on December 30.
Following the discovery of her body on December 30, an autopsy revealed that Shirley Lewis-McFarlane, 53, died from blunt force trauma to the face and asphyxiation.
The police here have reported that a person of interest has been taken into custody, but while the man has provided some information relevant to the investigation, he is not considered a suspect.
But this news has not gone down well with Lewis-McFarlene’s family; her son, Shawn Gavigan, has accused the Jamaican authorities of responding slowly to matters surrounding the case.
He pointed out, that it had been 12 days since his mother was found dead, and complained that the police were still without a suspect.
“It takes them forever to do anything, they have been doing the best job to their ability, but there aren’t as many police in Jamaica as they have in the USA or Canada”, Gavigan told the Toronto Star.
He also said he believed his mother’s death was a targeted hit by someone who knew her.
The grieving son revealed that he had spoken to his mother the day before she was found dead and also believes the motive for the killing is related to money, as he said she got mixed up with the wrong person.
Amanda Gavigan, the victim’s daughter, in an email to the newspaper, described her mother as “full of life” and said she hopes Jamaican authorities will solve the case.
“Not only did I lose my mom, I lost my best friend in such a malicious way. It still doesn’t seem real, but it is and I’m counting on justice to be served,” she wrote.
Lewis-McFarlane had been coming to Jamaica for nearly 14 years, before deciding to permanently settle down in Discovery Bay.
She reportedly married her second husband, a Jamaican, in 2001.
