Body of six-year-old found in pit
A community is mourning the loss of a promising six-year-old after his body was fished from a pit in an area called Gulf, located in Gordon Pen, Spanish Town.
The deceased child has been identified as Leroy ‘Boy Boy’ Mayne, a former student of the Primrose Basic School.
Information reaching THE STAR is that Leroy went missing last Saturday night and about 10:30 a.m. on Sunday, during a search for him, a resident stumbled on his body floating in a pit.
The pit is located some metres from where he lived with both parents and a sibling.
However, since the incident, the Spanish Town police confirmed that the parents have not been located.
When our news team visited the community yesterday, the grim look on the faces of the residents was evidence that they were still reeling from the loss.
A resident told THE STAR: “Me feel it. The baby is a good baby. He is smart, polite, bright. Everybody miss him. Dem need fi find the parents dem.”
Our news team visited the family’s home and was challenged by the mosquitoes and the deplorable conditions of the broken down board structure.
“If the incident never happen we wouldn’t know that is how they were living. The father go out and work and come in but we never know dem condition was this serious. From the police come and dem tek weh the body, we nuh see nobody else,” the resident said.
Some residents, who accused the parents of negligence, said they heard the couple having an argument last Saturday night.
A male resident said: “A the father people see a bawl say him can’t find him and the whole community join the search and a find him inna the pit.”
The residents say the continuous rainfall on the weekend may have added to high water level in the pit. They have since taken steps to fill the pit to prevent a recurrence.
At nearby Primrose Basic, it was a sombre mood. Pre-Kinder teacher Aunty Karen spoke highly of young Leroy.
She said: “Oh my. He was well-mannered, no fighting or anything that you see other children getting into. He follows instructions well, understands well and is very helpful. The news struck me to the point where mi bawl!”
The Child Protection and Family Services Agency has indicated that they will be probing the death and circumstances surrounding the welfare of the children.