ST CATHERINE, Jamaica (LATE NEWS) : Another child has been murdered, 12-y-o Jameila Johnson found dead identified....The ministry has since condemned the killing and says it “is distressed at the senseless killing of the nation's children”.

Friday, April 24, 2015 | 4:57 PM    

ST CATHERINE, Jamaica — The identity of the 12-year-old girl who was found dead in bushes in the Riversdale community here this morning has been released.

Jameila Johnson

She is Jameila Johnson, a student of the Harewood Primary School in the parish, who reportedly went missing on Tuesday.

The Ministry of Education has corroborated earlier police reports, stating that Jamelia asked her grandmother for tissue paper and proceeded to the outdoor pit latrine.

A three-day search was launched, ending in the discovery of the decomposed remains of the child.

The ministry has since condemned the killing and says it “is distressed at the senseless killing of the nation's children”.

“We grieve with the relatives and friends of Jameila Johnson,” it said in a media release Friday.

Education Minister Rev Ronald Thwaites has also expressed sadness over the killing of Jameila.

He indicated that guidance counsellors from the ministry's regional office will provide grief and trauma sessions to the affected students and staff at Harewood Primary.

Since the start of the year, two other young girls have suffered similar fates.

Santoya Campbell, a 14-year-old Westmoreland girl went missing on January 26 and her body was found two days later stuffed in garbage bags under a bridge.

According to the grief-stricken relatives, Santoya, who was a grade eight student of Frome Technical High, did not reach school after leaving her home early the morning she went missing.

Similarly, another 14-year-old girl, identified as Kayalicia Simpson of a St Thomas community was hacked to death and her mutilated body dumped metres from her house on March 3.

Police reports are that about 5:00 am that day the grade eight student went outside her house as she prepared for school.

About half-an-hour later her body was found lying face down in bushes close to the one-room wooden structure in which she lived.

Post-mortem reports on the 14-year-old girls later revealed that they were both pregnant at the time of their deaths.  
  
UPDATED 4/25/15 FROM JAMAICA OBSERVER

There were unconfirmed reports yesterday that the child was pregnant.

According to the Ministry of Education, the child's parents reported that she went missing Tuesday night after she asked her grandmother for toilet paper and proceeded to the outdoor pit latrine.

House burnt by angry mob

Yesterday, a group of angry residents, after learning about the little girl's death, went to her family's home and set the house on fire. The child's mother and grandmother were also attacked by the mob and had to be escorted from the community by the police.

The group claimed that it was neglect by the family that led to the child's death.

Because of the attack reporters did not get a chance to speak to Jameila's family members.

Ronald Thwaites, the education minister, yesterday expressed sympathies to the bereaved family. He said guidance counsellors from the ministry's regional office will provide grief and trauma sessions to the affected students and staff at Harewood Primary.

Kind words from classmates of the
12 y-o student.

Gregory Mair, the MP for North East St Catherine -- where Harewood is located -- said yesterday that he was shocked and saddened by the news of Jamilia death.

The MP said that since Jamilia disappeared Tuesday night residents started searching for her, only to stumble on her nude body yesterday morning.

Mair asked residents to give their full support to the police "so they can carry out a thorough investigation and bring the culprit of this heinous crime to justice".

The MP said he was in touch with the Office of the Children's Advocate and Youth Minister Lisa Hanna on the matter.

Two underage girls have, since January, suffered similar fates.

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