Funeral home director denies Maitland link - Says rumours hurting business

Mark Maitland, general manager of Garden of Paradise Funeral home, which is located in Swallowfield, St Andrew, is clarifying that he is not related to, or in any way affiliated with murder accused Constable Noel Maitland.

The funeral home operator said he felt compelled to come forward following allegations that were made during a live chat on social media that he is connected to Maitland, who has been charged for the murder of Donna-Lee Donaldson. In the video, a caller who spoke with the chat host said he found out that the funeral home does cremations and the general manager shared the same last name as the accused policeman. The caller further suggested that the funeral home may have cremated Donaldson, whose body is yet to be found.

Speaking with THE STAR yesterday, Mark Maitland denied all claims.

"The first time I heard about Noel was at the genesis of this case. The funeral home has absolutely nothing to do with this case and we do not do cremations either. You need a licence to operate a crematorium in Jamaican and I do not have such licence," he explained. He also cautioned the blogger about his content.

"He needs to be very careful the way he puts out information as if they are facts. I don't mind when the youth dem wah buss but you have to be careful," he said. Mark Maitland did not say whether he would be consulting an attorney regarding any legal action.

The caller added that the funeral home is located just minutes away from a car wash that is rumoured to have cleaned a sofa that transported Donaldson's body from the apartment where the accused lives. Based on information that was shared about him, Mark Maitland believes that someone who is familiar with the home was feeding the host information.

"That person knows that I am a JP and my religious affiliation and so forth and this information is not available on my social media platform," he said.

Mark Maitland said that he is now looking into additional security measures as even his staff are afraid to report to the office for work. In addition, he said that he has been losing business.

"One man called me already to move his wife's body from our funeral home. Someone called last night [Sunday] to ask if Mark Maitland is really affiliated with Garden of Paradise Funeral Home, so yes our business is being affected," he said.

Donaldson, who was last seen in the company of Constable Maitland, was reported missing by her mother Sophia Lugg on July 13. She was last seen by her family on July 11 when the lawmen picked her up from her home. Like many Jamaicans, Mark Maitland said he has been keeping a close watch on the case and is very sympathetic to Donaldson's family.

"All the rumours that are spreading will not bring closure to Donna-Lee's family. It is very unfortunate that our name is being dragged into this to add to the family's pain," he said.