Mother of three found dead clutching newborn

For Tiffany Williams, life as she knew it came crashing down on Monday afternoon when her sister, Renesha Williams, was found dead, holding her newborn baby in her arms.

The 30-year-old mother was found in her home around 1:30 p.m. by the father of her newborn. While her death is presumed to have been caused by a blood clot, the family is anxiously awaiting autopsy results for confirmation. Her sudden and unexpected passing has left her loved ones heartbroken, grappling with the immense shock and loss.

"This ah affect me bad, everything was me and mi sister. We were so close. If we argue today, by later, we good. Mi cah believe seh she gone," Williams told THE WEEKEND STAR, her voice heavy with emotion.

Renesha's death has left her three children - a newborn daughter, her eight-year-old daughter, and her 10-year-old son - without their mother. Williams and her family have now taken on the responsibility of raising them, while Williams, who is only a year older than her sister, cares for her own two children, ages 13 and three months. Despite her grief, Williams told the news team that she is trying to stay strong and do her best to give all the children the love and care they need.

"It nuh easy," she admitted. "Mi just ah try hold the faith fi them because Renesha woulda want mi to take care of dem and duh the best fi dem." Williams said that Renesha's older children are struggling to cope with the loss of their mother.

"Mi nuh have words fi tell yuh how hard this a lick them, it just rough. But she loved dem kids with all her heart and mi aguh duh everything mi can fi make sure dem remember how much she loved dem," Williams said.

Renesha was known to those close to her as a devoted mother who poured her energy into ensuring her children were well cared for. Her childhood friend, Sasha-Kay Morrison, described her as a woman whose life revolved around her children.

"She was very loving to her kids. She wanted nothing but the best for them," Morrison said. "Her biggest dream was to see them grow up and become successful. To know they'll grow up without her now and she won't be able to see them become what she dreamed of, oh God man, it pain mi."

According to the Ministry of Health and Wellness, for 2022, Jamaica's maternal mortality rate stood at 156.7 per 100,000 live births. Globally, the target is 70 per 100,000 live births.