Mystery, concern after body found in bushfire

Relatives and friends of a missing security guard are now anxiously awaiting news after the gruesome discovery of the remains of an unidentified male after what was initially thought to be a late-night bushfire in St Andrew last week.

The discovery has also spooked residents close to the section of Manning’s Hill Road, who are concerned that the area is becoming a dumping ground for bodies.

Firefighters attached to the Stony Hill Fire Station stumbled upon the charred remains about 10 p.m. last Tuesday after responding to a call about a bush fire in the Belgrade Mews area.

“Cooling down was taking place. It’s a small area along the roadway,” a firefighter, who did not want to be identified, recalled in a Gleaner interview. “A fireman noticed a foot and then we see say is a human and the police were contacted ... . It would appear the person had gunshot or stab wounds and the body was partially burnt.”

The police say the investigation is still at an early stage and hinted that the forensic examination was not yet completed.

“The matter is under investigation. Some persons have come forward and expressed some concern. We cannot say definitively until certain things are done,” the senior cop told The Gleaner.

He theorised that the man might have been killed elsewhere and his body dumped in the area, with the criminals hoping to discard it without notice in the fire.

The Gleaner understands that relatives and friends of a missing taxi operator and former security guard have visited the area, anxious to confirm the identity of the deceased.

“They tracked his phone and it took them to the area ... . They believe is him, but the postmortem will help clear up everything,” a friend of the missing guard said.

The taxi operator reportedly vanished before he was able to give testimony in court in relation to a drug matter.

Yesterday, residents in a nearby community were still shocked at the find, even as they noted that it is not the first such incident in the area.

“Is not the first or second or third time body a find up here. Dem dump all kind of things around here human and animal corpse,” one resident told The Gleaner.

While our news team roved through the area, a foul stench was heavy in some sections, the source of which was unclear.

“You don’t know if is another human or animal,” one resident commented. “People just use around here for the wrong reasons. We love our community and don’t want it to deteriorate into being known for dumping corpse.”