‘They were like gems’ - Crash victims had sisterly bond

The relationship that 14-year-old Rihanna Howard shared with her niece, Jade-Ann Mclean, 13, was more of a sisterly bond. Beatrice Brown, Rihanna's mother, who is Jade-Ann's grandmother, told THE STAR that Rihanna, who was a third form student at the Marcus Garvey Technical School, aspired to become a teacher and spent a lot of time studying with Jade-Ann.

"Once you see Jade-Ann, you see Rhi-Rhi and a just so them have it, them relationship was so nice," said Brown, 55. "You can't see one without the other them very loving man like them a two sisters."

"Ever since the COVID too, and they are at home, they teach each other, put up charts on the wall and so on. They do everything together."

Rihanna and Jade-Ann were among four family members who perished in a fiery crash along the Queen's Highway in St Ann.

Jacqueline Howard, a relative of both girls, told THE STAR that the girls were 'two pea in a pod'.

"They were like gems, man, they are like the kind of children that people pray and hope for," Howard said, adding that "the two of them behave like sisters ... They are loving towards each other. You never see Rhi-Rhi without Jade and I can't remember if them ever vex with each other."

Sunday's crash claimed the life of Rihanna's sister, Kadean Howard, 34, who is Jade-Ann's mother. Jason Gayle, Kadean's common-law husband was the fourth victim.

"Jade-Ann was very ambitious and she did very well in school right through. We never had a complaint about her being indiscipline or anything like that," Howard said of the Brown's Town High School second former.

Highly disciplined

"Rhi-Rhi was the person who we can depend on. She was highly disciplined too, you can send her to do anything and know it will be done," Howard said of Rihanna.

The police reported that about 7:50 a.m., a Toyota Fielder motor car with four persons on board was travelling westward towards Trelawny when it got out of control and slammed into a Mercedes-Benz travelling in the opposite direction.

The Fielder then overturned and burst into flames. Two occupants of the car were flung from the vehicle but two were trapped inside and burnt to death.

Howard recalled the last moment she saw the girls. They were at a shop in Gibraltar, St Ann.

"A few days ago they were at my shop because there is like a karaoke thing and when them ready to sing is nothing normal," said Howard. "Them have little song that them sing that say something about ' Put up your lighter', and when them start to sing ... . They know it word for word."

She added: "Oh Jesus of mercy, both of them were in their best life, man! When you see them is just happiness."