Laventille family’s Christmas hope ends in tragedy

Missing 25-year-old MTS worker Jamal Brandon Jessop, reported missing on December 21, who was found floating beneath a bridge in a swampy area near the WASA facility at Beetham Gardens on December 22. -

A LAVENTILLE FAMILY’S hope for a Christmas miracle ended in heartbreak after the body of a missing 25-year-old man was discovered floating beneath a bridge in a swampy area near the WASA facility at Beetham Gardens.

The deceased has been identified as Jamal Brandon Jessop, an MTS Security officer of Eastern Quarry, Laventille.

Jessop was reported missing by his mother, Sherry-Ann Jessop, at the Besson Street Police Station around 9.30 pm on December 20. She told police she last saw Jessop around midday the same day. He had lunch at the home they shared and left.

According to his mother, it was the first time Jessop had ever gone missing. She told police Jessop suffered from a mental illness and was receiving ongoing treatment as an outpatient at St Ann’s Hospital.

He was described as a black male of muscular build, approximately six feet tall, bald, with a short goatee and a tattoo of the word “Jessop” on his chest. At the time he was last seen, he was barefoot and wearing green MTS Security long pants.

Sherry-Ann further reported on Sunday, December 21, she received several phone calls from people known to her, claiming her son had been killed. She was told Jessop was killed sometime between 2 am and 6 am after becoming involved in an altercation with a man at Phase One, First Street, Beetham.

According to the information relayed to her, Jessop was allegedly shot during the incident, and his body was later dumped either in a swamp at Sea Lots or near the WASA pump at Clear Water along the Beetham Highway, Laventille.

The grieving mother declined to disclose the source of the information to police, citing concerns for the safety of the individuals involved.

In her desperate search for answers, Sherry-Ann Jessop also contacted Vallence Rambharat of the Hunters Search and Rescue Team, who assisted police with search efforts.

The initial search began around 3 pm on December 21 and continued until midnight but was eventually suspended due to poor lighting, dense vegetation, and the difficult terrain in the area.

Search operations resumed at 8 am on December 22, with support from the Police K9 Unit, Air Support, the Hunters Search and Rescue Team, and officers from several police divisions.

The grim discovery was made later that day when a member of the search and rescue team entered the swamp and recovered Jessop’s body beneath a bridge.

Spent shell casings were reportedly found near the site. Videos circulating on social media showed Jessop’s mother and other relatives at the scene. Several clips captured the distraught woman inconsolable as search teams worked nearby.

Investigations into Jessop’s death are being led by officers of the Anti-Kidnapping and Homicide Bureau.

In another unrelated incident, police are probing a suspected homicide in the Beetham Gardens. Reports say around 12 pm on December 21, officers from the Besson Street Police Station, while on mobile patrol, responded to a report from the Command Centre of a man lying motionless on the roadway.

On arriving at Sixth Street, officers found the body of an African male, about 25 years old, lying face down along a track in a pool of blood. The victim was dressed in a white T-shirt and black three-quarter jeans and wore his hair in a cornrow hairstyle.

He had been shot in the face. Officers were unable to immediately determine his identity. Officers from the Homicide Bureau and Crime Scene Investigators also visited the scene.

During processing, investigators recovered 28 spent shell casings and five live rounds of ammunition. Enquiries are ongoing as police work to identify the victim and determine the circumstances surrounding his death.

Meanwhile, in Morvant, police are investigating a wounding incident that occurred during the early hours of December 21, around 2 am. The victim, a 21-year-old man of Sixth Avenue, Malick, Barataria, was walking along Upper Sixth Avenue, Valley Drive, Malick, Barataria, on his way to visit his girlfriend.

Reports say the man was approached by two men with guns. The men opened fire, shooting the victim in his left leg. Despite his injuries, the wounded man managed to run a short distance before collapsing nearby.

He was later taken by emergency medical services to the Eric Williams Medical Sciences Complex, where he received treatment. Police visited the victim at the hospital, where he told officers he did not know his attackers.

Crime Scene Investigators processed and photographed the scene, recovering 14 spent nine mm shell casings, one live 7.62 round, and a blood swab.