Jamaica: Body of missing 13-year-old girl found stuffed in burnt refrigerator, father on run

Jamaica: The quiet dirt track community of Bailleston, Jamaica, has been thrown into disbelief after the body of 13-year-old Shantina Sergeant was found dead and decomposing inside a burnt-out refrigerator on Monday.

According to reports from Juliet Unis, the stepmother of Shantina, she last saw the 13-year-old, a Christiana High School student on Wednesday before she went missing. Although prior to the child going missing, Unis stated that she had received alarming reports from her 13-year-old daughter.

Unis, following the uncomfortable reports from her daughter last month, went to the Spaldings Police Station to report the matter. However, the police allegedly did not pay her much attention and asked her to come again to the station with Shantina.

The same afternoon, Unis requested the teenager to accompany her to the police station but she refused.

Unis recalled seeing the victim on Wednesday and mentioned that the teenager had hugged her little brother lovingly. When a day passed without hearing from Shantina, on Friday, October 4, Unis phoned her former lover and Shantina's father, 46-year-old Lawrence Oliver Sergeant, also known as Marcus, a farmer from Riverside Drive, Baillieston, Clarendon, to ask if Shantina was okay, as the teenager hadn't come back home from school.

According to the school's report, Shantina attended school on Monday, September 29th, but never showed up on Tuesday, but on Wednesday, October 1st the teenager was present at her school, Christiana High School.

On Thursday, October 2, the 13-year-old did not show up at school and when the school enquired why she was absent Lawrence, Shantina’s father claimed that she was sick and that’s why she didn't attend school.

Shantina was reportedly last seen heading home in the community on Wednesday, although community members report that the 13-year-old seemed somewhat hesitant to go home at the time.

Following her entry into the home, Shatiana was reportedly never seen again in the community. A member of the Ballieston community recalls seeing her father with a fridge on his back on Friday but when asked if he's moving, Lawrence stated that he was bringing the fridge to get it fixed.

On the same Friday, Unis, Shatiana’s mother inquired from Lawrence on her whereabouts as the teenager was reportedly not answering her phone and had not communicated with her, which was somewhat unusual.  Lawrence stated that he had not seen or heard from Shantina, his daughter.

Worrying, as time went by, Lawrence told Unis that they should report to the police. That afternoon the two went to the police station and filed a missing person report.

On Monday, October 6th, Shantina's stepmom went by Shantina's High School to find out from students if they had seen her. She recalled one student saying that Shantina is afraid of her father, but Shantina didn't say what the problem was between them.

On Monday afternoon,  three days after the missing report, Unis was informed by the police who were at their family's home that the home was swarmed by flies. She quickly phoned Lawrence and inquired why flies were surrounding the home, but Lawrence quickly dismissed her and told her it was because of a bed he had burned earlier.

Later Monday evening, after further investigation, Unis received the tragic report that the team from the Christiana Police Station had found the charred decomposed remains of Shantina inside a burnt-out refrigerator on the premises of Lawrence’s home. Reportedly the same fridge the community resident saw Lawrence bringing on his back on Friday.

The stench of rotting flesh quickly permeated the air of the laid back community, the Head of the Manchester police, Deputy Superintendent Carey Duncan, has appealed to Lawrence whose whereabouts remain unknown,  to turn himself in to the police, not as a suspect but to assist in the ongoing investigations.

The 46-year-old Lawrence aka 'Marcus' is reportedly still on a run and has gone into hiding as he’s now the main suspect of murdering his daughter. Shantina's stepmom has encouraged him to turn himself in, but he told her he will not because he doesn't have anyone to bail him out.