Adrian Frater, News Editor

WESTERN BUREAU:

It has been five weeks since street person David 'Massa' Miller died in St. Elizabeth but, while his death might be a cold case for the police, his family remains convinced that he was a victim of state injustice.

"We suspect that he was kidnapped from Montego Bay and dumped inSt. Elizabeth in a manner similar to the 1999 street people incident," said Miller's sister, Mary Lodge. "Particularly so because it happened on the eve of the (ICC) Cricket World Cup."

With state agencies - including the St. James Parish Council, which was implicated in the 1999 dumping of 39 street persons in St. Elizabeth on the eve of a G-15 conference - denying responsibility, Mrs. Lodge said the family will be seeking the help of the Office of the Public Defender and Jamaicans for Justice in their quest for answers.

Died from shock

'Massa' - a familiar face on the streets of Montego Bay, St. James - was found bound and gagged in bushes in New Holland, St. Elizabeth, on March 17. He was taken to the Black River Hospital, where he died later that same day from "shock due to heart failure".

In a police report, which the family shared with The Gleaner, it stated that prior to his death, the 45-year-old man told hospital personnel that he and another man were kidnapped from the streets of Montego Bay.

He reportedly disclosed that they were bound and gagged with rope and then tossed into the back of a vehicle which transported him to St. Elizabeth where he was dumped.

Aware of surroundings

"While he lived on the street he was quite aware of his surroundings and was always able to hold a proper conversation," stated Mrs. Lodge, who said her brother was once a choirboy and band member.

"I believe the statement he gave because Montego Bay was his comfort zone and there was no reason for him to go off to St. Elizabeth on his own."

When Jamaicans for Justice was contacted, spokesperson for the advocacy group, Dr. Carolyn Gomes, said she was aware of the incident and it was definitely something Jamaicans for Justice would have an interest in.

"We have an office in Montego Bay and we would urge the family to go there with whatever documentation they have," said Dr. Gomes.

In the 1999 incident, some 39 street persons were kidnapped from the streets of Montego Bay and transported to St. Elizabeth in a St. James Parish Council truck. They were subsequently dumped near a mud-lake.

The incident sparked an international outcry and, following a commission of enquiry, the state offered the victims a compensation package.