Family grieves as missing woman found dead

Overcome with a mixture of grief and anger over the gruesome killing of a loved one, a Bull Bay, St Thomas woman is imploring persons to desist from covering up and protecting their relatives who are involved in wrongdoing.

The woman's relative is Titisi Banney, 39 ,whose body was found in a ditch wrapped in a sheet on Wednesday in Grants Pen Heights, St Thomas.

Banney was reported missing on Monday after she failed to return home on Sunday after visiting a nail technician in Yallahs.

"Father God may slow, but him sure and everybody fi dem a go feel it when father God a work. Yuh see dis weh a happen? Is not the first dem a do this and dem woman and madda know say a suh dem stay and accommodate them. People nuh just get up one day and decide to turn rapist and killer. Uno fi stop it, man," she said.

When THE WEEKEND STAR visited Banney's home, a few of her relatives sat under a tree. Their eyes were swollen from crying and they all wore despondent expressions.

"When we go out fi search fi har, we still a expect her to come back home. We never expect dis. Dem do what dem a do to her and leave her naked. Her mouth was gagged and her hands and feet tied. It was horrible. The only thing that she had on her was her phone case and a water bottle," a relative said.

One of Banney's cousins said they partied on Saturday night and planned to chill in their yard on Sunday evening, as neither had to work on Independence Day.

"About 8 a.m. mi see her Sunday and we talk about the night before. She said she was going to do her nails. We chat little and before she leave, she say I must remember that we going to sit under the tree and drink rum in the evening and I shouldn't go to sleep," she said. The relative said calls to Banney's phone went straight to voicemail later that evening and although it was odd, she initially thought that Banney could not get cell service.

"Mi say mi a go get little rest but mi realise say she nuh come knock mi window or anything. Mi say maybe she come and cock up a watch TV on her phone. Her spouse come later and a say how 'Munchy' (Banney's nickname) gone from morning and nuh come back. Mi call the phone again and it go voicemail again," she said.

Early Monday morning, Banney's cousin said that when she knocked on her door and got no response, she grew concerned.

"Munchy nuh sleep out no matter what. Mi know this nuh right and mi stomach start feel tight and mi start sweat uncontrollably and mi guh station and report it. When mi a make the report mi still a call her phone and a still voicemail," she said. The relative said she contacted the nail tech who told her that Banney had got her nails done and even showed her video footage of her leaving the establishment. On Tuesday, missing person flyers began circulating of Banney and on Wednesday, family members launched a search party. The search led to the gruesome find.

"She was a loving person. She was the life of the party and all when nuh music nah play, she a dance. She don't have any enemies and everyone knows her and that was why so much people went and search for her," the relative said.