St Mary man who suffered years of abuse commits suicide in St Ann’s Bay Hospital
A man who was seen on television news being rescued from the top of a hospital in Annotto Bay, St Mary after threatening to jump to his death, reportedly killed himself in a St Ann hospital where he was being treated for mental illness. His mother tells the North Coast Times a horrifying story of abuse of a young man who had many times said it wasn’t worth living and he wanted to die. And now that he has died, her pain has increased because of how authorities have treated her as, up to Sunday, she had not been able to see the body. Dead is 26-year-old Gayon Jeffery, a farmer of Camberwell, near Fort George, Annotto Bay, St Mary. Mr Jeffery allegedly took his own life at the St Ann’s Bay Hospital, Tuesday, November 18, two days after being admitted for an unknown mental illness. He has been reportedly suffering from mental illness since December last year. His illness reportedly worsened a month ago, according to family members. The hospital has not issued a statement on the alleged suicide.
I WANT TO DIE
Mr Jeffery’s mother, Denise Weise told the North Coast Times that her son has been ill since December last year when he was admitted at the Annotto Bay Hospital for two months for a reported stomach illness. Ms Weise said since he was admitted in hospital, her son has never been the same. She said he displayed signs of being mentally ill but the symptoms were not as severe and he was working and living a normal life. She said she knew her son was sick, but he was fine once he received medication. Ms Wiese said, however, that two months ago, his behaviour got worse and her son said he wanted to die. “Him get off two months ago and mi bring him go (Annotto Bay) hospital so that him could get some medication, but when mi bring him go hospital, him run outta the hospital and mi affi call police to help find him.”
Ms Weise said when her son fled the hospital, family; friends and the police launched a search for him but to no avail. She said later that evening she received a phone call that her son was on the roof of the Annotto Bay Hospital, shouting he wanted to die and threatening to jump. “When mi reach hospital, Gayon said him nuh want to live and him tired of life. Him say him tired of abuse and nobody cares for him,” Ms Weise said. Family members with the help of fire personnel and police managed to get Mr Jeffery off the roof and he was admitted and restrained while admitted.
According to Ms Weise, Gayon has had a series of issues that led to him being beaten on several occasions. She said that in one incident, he was left severely injured and without one of his fingers. She said several years ago, while he was living in St Thomas, he was attacked and chopped seven (7) times where he also lost a finger. He allegedly retaliated but was apprehended and taken to jail, where he was reportedly also beaten while in lock up. Ms Wiese says on several occasions, her son had said that he did not want to live and he would be better off dead.
NO BODY
On Sunday, November 15, Ms Weise said she was contacted by the Annotto Bay Hospital and told that her son was being transported to the St Ann’s Bay Hospital for further treatment. “Mi know seh him sick but I don’t know why dem put him at St Ann’s Bay Hospital. Mi think they would just give him medication.” She says while she was preparing, further in the week to go visit her son, she received another phone call saying her son committed suicide at the hospital. She says she does not know what transpired at the hospital and, up to Sunday, November 23, she has not yet seen her son’s body. “Nobody nuh tell me nothing. All now mi nuh see him, mi only hear seh him kill himself and all now mi cyah see mi son body,” she cried.
The St Ann’s Bay Hospital reported that Jeffery was being treated for psychological problems when he committed suicide. It is reported that about 12:45 a.m., an alarm was raised by other patients and the body of Jeffery was seen tied with a piece of gauze hanging from an electrical outlet inside a bathroom. He had been admitted to the psychiatric ward.
