An atmosphere of grief and turmoil now surrounds the family of five year old Dejauna Drysdale who drowned in an open tank in the family’s backyard on Saturday, August 16.
The tragic incident took place in the community of Lambkin Hill, near Gayle in St Mary.
Reports are that on Saturday, Dejauna and other children were in the care of her grandmother, Angela Marsh. Marsh reportedly went to feed chickens and the child is believed to have wandered off, without Marsh’s awareness. (After Ms Marsh returned from her task of feeding the chickens, it was then that an alarm was raised about the whereabouts of the child. Subsequent checks resulted in the heart rending discovery of the child’s body floating inside the tank. The incident occurred about 10 a.m. It was said that normally the child would not have ventured into the tank but might have just taken the decision after observing adult family members swimming in it weeks before.
Emotions ran high at the family home on Saturday as a number of family and community members wept openly. The child’s mother and grandmother were hospitalized following the death. Dejuana was the only child for her mother.
Orville Black, a family friend offered condolences: “I have known the Marsh family for over 13 years and when I went on the location and saw the lifeless body of little Dejuana (check spelling) it was indeed sad. What can you tell a mother who has lost her only child? I can only say to the family to be strong and to the community to be there for them as we continue to mourn with them.”
