9-year-old assaulted, found dead in Jamaica – Police launches manhunt for suspect

Jamaica: The body of nine-year-old Kelsey Cassidy Ferrigon was found upside down in a barrel at her residence around 8 pm on Friday. The victim was found partially naked with severe bruises allegedly to her head and private parts, signalling that she was raped before being killed.   

The deceased was a student at St John’s Primary School and was a resident of Job Lane in Jamaica’s Spanish Town.  

While the details of the circumstances are not clear, police officials claim that around 8 pm, the victim’s brother found the child’s body inside the barrel, following which a report was made to the authorities. The child was taken to the Spanish Town Hospital where she was pronounced dead on arrival.  

Police believes that there are signs the girl was sexually assaulted before being dumped in a barrel and it is also being suspected that their signs that the girl was beaten.  

Since the discovery of his sister’s lifeless body, the brother of the victim has not been coping well, said the police and a team from the Child Protection and Family Services Agency was sent to the family’s home to provide immediate assistance for their son. 

Police Launch Manhunt for 39-year-old Giovanni Ellis 

The police officials in Jamaica have since launched a man hunt in connection to the murder of the nine-year-old in Spanish Town. Police are now seeking the whereabouts of 39-year-old Giovanni Ellis who is reported to be the prime suspect in this tragic murder. 

Head of the Criminal Investigations Branch, Assistant Commissioner of Police, Wayne Josephs, said that law enforcers will be taking the necessary actions to make sure that justice is served.  

He assured that the team is using every single resource at their disposal in order to relentlessly apprehend the suspect responsible for this act.  

Josephs said that the brutal assault and murder of the young child has sent shockwaves through the entire force and added, “We owe it to Kelsey, her family, and every child in Jamaica to bring this individual to justice swiftly.” 

$2M Reward Offered For Suspect’s Capture 

The Ministry of National Security of Jamaica have also offered a two million dollars reward to anyone who can provide information which could lead to the capture of 39-year-old Giovanni ‘Coolie Man’ Ellis.  

Minister of national security Dr. Horace Chang said the brutal rape and murder of the girl is an outrage, particularly in a time when the police have been effectively reducing the number of murders by double digits. 

Dr. Chang said this horrific act of unspeakable violence, where the life of an innocent child, full of promise and potential, has been cruelly extinguished, will not go unpunished. 

Meanwhile, opposition spokesperson on gender Denise Daley has described the sexual assault and murder of a young girl in St. Catherine yesterday, as an affront to collective humanity. 

In a statement, Daley said this devastating and deeply disturbing incident has shaken the nation to its core and has also underscored the urgent need for Jamaicans to take the safety of children seriously.