Three St. Catherine men die in Falmouth crash as search continues for missing Kingston woman

Three men from St. John's Road on the outskirts of Spanish Town were killed last Friday when their truck crashed head-on with a Toyota HiAce minibus near Falmouth, Trelawny, leaving their close-knit St. Catherine community in mourning.

Anthony Rose, 65, Marlon Thompson and O'Neal Campbell left about 4:30 a.m. for Conroy Street in Falmouth to deliver motor vehicle parts, a run they regularly made across the island. Less than three miles from their destination, a minibus reportedly tried to overtake other vehicles and struck their truck head-on. Rose and his co-workers died at the scene and had to be cut from the wreckage by Falmouth firefighters. Four occupants of the minibus also died, while the driver remains hospitalised in serious condition.

Black buntings now line St. John's Road as relatives struggle with the loss. Elmina Henry, Rose's aunt, said he had been at her home the Thursday night before the trip. "He was at my house on Thursday night before he went home to rest because he had to wake up early for work," she recalled. Standing beneath the buntings, she said she still cannot accept the news or eat since learning of the crash.

Marvel Willis said she walked her 49-year-old only son, Marlon Thompson, to the gate that morning and told him, "God go with you." While doing laundry later, an urge to cry came over her. After hearing a radio report of a deadly crash near Falmouth, she repeatedly called his nickname, Bali, with no answer. "It's hard. He's my only son. I wasn't expecting this," she said, adding that the three men were friends and that the entire St. John's Road loved them.

Dela McClin said O'Neal Campbell's last words to her were, "Mommy, I love you and I am going to work hard to buy you a house so you can stop paying rent." He also told his sister he loved her. On hearing the news, she collapsed in Spanish Town and was revived after people prayed for her. Campbell's last phone message, sent about 5:00 a.m., was a birthday greeting to his mentor, businessman and reggae artiste Stanley Cruz, who later saw the WhatsApp blue tick showing it had been read. Cruz, preparing a candlelight vigil, said Campbell was a mature, respected young man and that he remains in shock.

Separately, Antonette Rose Green is appealing for help finding her daughter, Moisha Hyatt, 24, who has not been seen since February 20. Olympic Gardens Police said she was last seen about 3:30 p.m. that Friday on Princess Street in downtown Kingston. Hyatt is of dark complexion, slim build and about 5 ft 5 in tall. Rose Green said she grew alarmed after a routine call went unanswered after she had collected Hyatt's four-year-old son, Dami, from his grandfather. She described her daughter as a responsible young woman who does wholesale work and would not leave voluntarily; her passport is not missing. Anyone with information is asked to contact Olympic Gardens Police at 876-923-5468.

In St. Elizabeth, police fatally shot Rion Osborne, also called Boghead, during a targeted operation about 5:15 a.m. Friday in Knoxwood near Bora Savannah. Officers said Osborne allegedly confronted them with a firearm, was shot and pronounced dead on arrival at hospital. A .38 Pointer revolver was seized. Police said he was a member of the Giant Criminal Network and had reportedly been hiding in the parish.

Hanover police have released a composite sketch of a suspect wanted over a late-night robbery and assault on Main Street in Lucea on Monday, May 4. About 11 p.m., the suspect and other men allegedly held a man at gunpoint and stole cash and a cellphone before fleeing. He is sought for assault at common law, robbery with aggravation and Firearms Act breaches. Tips may be given to the Lucea Criminal Investigation Branch at 876-956-2304, Crime Stop at 311, emergency line 119, or the nearest police station.