Death of 3-y-o turns family upside down
Sasha-Gay Lobban
As police await a post mortem report in the death of a three year old St Mary girl, stinging criticism has been affecting members of the family.Dead is Crystal Coleman of Frontier district Port Maria. Earlier reports had said she was five but her mother who lives in Old Harbour St Catherine has confirmed her age as three. The mother has not seen Crystal since last year April, nine months ago.Questions have been raised about the care of the girl, who was responsible for her and why she was living alone with her father. And people are rushing to judgment, heaping blame on the father’s mother who lives nearby.In addition, there are waves of speculation surrounding the gruesome death of Crystal last week Wednesday, January 21.The severely battered body of the three-year-old was found at her home where she lived with her father, Dwight Coleman who is in police custody.
A post mortem is to be conducted on the body of the toddler this week before formal charges are expected to be laid against the father.
CHILD ABANDONED?
However, there have been widespread speculations in St Mary surrounding the child’s death as residents claim that the child was murdered. Some are also blaming the family, who they claim have abandoned the child by leaving her with her father.The Times however contacted the grandmother of little Crystal who is also the mother of Dwight Coleman. She refused to provide her name saying that she is “cut up by the whole situation” and did not wish to talk to anyone.The grandmother of the little girl said everyone was blaming her for her grandchild’s death and she did not know how to respond to the situation and the backlash from the community. She lives in Portmaria, St Mary.
“Right now mi nuhwah talk to nobody cause everybody a say me know and mi know what happened to Crystal. Minuh know wah fi do, mi not even a talk to myself the way mi torn up inside cause the two a dem a mi pickneydem,” she told the Times, referring to Mr Coleman and Crystal. According to the grandmother, baby Crystal was not living with her but has been living with the father.
WHERE IS CRYSTAL’S MOM?
Crystal’s mother Tanisha Roberts who lives in Spring Village, Old Harbour, St Catherine told the North Coast Times that she has not seen the baby since April last year (2014). Ms Roberts says Crystal has been going back and forth between St Mary and Old Harbour in St Catherine for the holidays. Ms Roberts says that since Mr Coleman took the child in April, she has not seen Crystal but has been in touch with her via phone calls.
She said she spoke to Crystal up to the day before her death. “Mi talk to Crystal Tuesday (January 20) and she tell mi she was eating. That a the last thing she say to me,” Ms Roberts said. “Minuh know why him tek Crystal from me and me nuh know wah fi say,” she continued. Crystal is one of four children for her. Two children live overseas while another lives in Old Harbour, St Catherine with Ms Roberts. Little Crystal attended the Gordon Wood Basic School in Old Harbour but has not been attending since April last year. According to Ms Roberts, she thought Crystal was living with the grandmother in St Mary. She said it was when she rushed to St Mary on Wednesday evening, (the day Crystal died) she discovered that Crystal had been living with Mr Coleman since April.
FATHER IN CUSTODY
The St Mary police have taken the father into custody for questioning. After Crystal’s body was discovered,Mr Coleman could not be found. Police named him Thursday as a person of interest. It is reported that Mr Coleman’s mother turned him over to police, hours later. He was taken from Port Maria to Area 2 headquarters and later reportedly transferred to Ocho Rios police station where he was being held and questioned.Residents have been verbally lashing and criticizing Mr Coleman’s mother saying she knows what happened to Crystal.The mother has since rubbished those claims. The St Mary police say they are awaiting the results of the autopsy to determine the cause of death before formal charges can be laid. Ms Roberts told TheTimes that an autopsy will be done on Tuesday, January 27 at the House of Tranquility, Orange Street, Downtown, Kingston.Residents reportedly had seen Crystal with her father the morning before she was found dead. One resident says “Crystal was a sweet little girl, She always a smile and look pleasant.”
