Five months of pain - No autopsy delays burial of teen found dead in Februar

The last five months have been the most painful for Lorna Brown. Not only is she mourning the untimely death of her 17-year-old daughter, Jaydeen Grant, but she has been unable to bury her because an autopsy is yet to be done.

The distraught mother is pleading with the authorities to assist her in expediting the process to have the autopsy done. The child's decomposing body was found on February 16, in bushes in the Argyle Mountain community on the Westmoreland/Hanover border.

She went missing on February 3.

"From the 16th a February until now, we a try get an autopsy done. We wanted to do it privately but the police dem say it can't happen because it in the government hands. Me just waah bury her and done. Me go tru it fi mind me pickney dem. Me chop people grung and wash people dutty clothes to mind me pickney dem, and fi see dem kill me baby like dis," she said before bursting out into tears.

Brown said that the day her daughter went missing, she was upset at her for arresting her father over a domestic dispute.

BECAME ALARMED

"Me and her father did inna some dispute and the police arrest him, and she get mad and say she nah deal with me cause me make her fadda go jail. And she left. Me go over me madda yard and she was there and she step out and say she naah stay deh," she said.

Brown said persons from the community told her that Grant was last seen at a party.

Grant was reported missing the following day, but her mother had high hopes that she was just venting somewhere and would return home safely. She, however, became alarmed when she did not return or contact her even three days later. Shortly before Grant's body was found, her mother said she sat with relatives at a nearby shop praying for her daughter's safe return. Unfortunately, the news was quite the opposite.

"A boy who go look a bush come back and say we must give him some wata, and we a wonder why him want wata cause him just leave the shop. Him tell me say me must wait until me other cousin come, cause once me hear me a go drop dung. Afterwards, me cousin come and tell me say dem find her body a rotten," Brown said between tears.

She stated that she cannot understand why anyone would want to hurt a member of her family, especially since the community isn't known for violent activities.

"She was a nice likkle girl, very jokify. Everyone love her and she never have no enemy. Me honestly think she did a go come back because things like this no happen in my district. Me no think nobody would kill anyone of my kids" she said.

According to the Constabulary Communications Unit, no one has been charged for the death of Grant. A man, who was taken into custody earlier this year, was questioned and released. Police investigations continue.

"Me just wa bury her and done. Sometimes me go days and no eat. A tru people a watch over me make me nuh kill myself already. It hard, me love me baby. Me feel it, me go thru difficulty fi have her and she did born sick. Me feel it fi her, me never know a so me baby woulda dead," Brown said, before bursting out in tears again.