Investigators attached to the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) are probing the circumstances that led up to and caused the death of an elderly woman whose mummified corpse was found at her home.
The deceased has been identified as Viola Destin, a resident of the Old Hope District in Little London, Westmoreland. According to the JCF, her age and date of birth have not yet been confirmed.
The JCF disclosed that Destin resided at her home with her live-in caregiver, 54-year-old Gena Robinson. However, one of Destin’s relatives became concerned about the elderly woman, who seemingly had not been seen for some time.
The relative summoned the police on Sunday, informing the law enforcement officials of her suspicions. The police later went to Destin’s home, and her decomposed remains were found on a mattress.
The authorities processed the scene, and Destin’s remains were removed from the house and transported to the morgue. A post-mortem will be conducted to ascertain her cause of death.
While the post-mortem is pending, Destin’s time of death has been confirmed as December 10, 2023. According to the police, instead of reporting Destin’s death, Robinson allegedly concealed the body inside a room at the house.
The caregiver is now facing charges of failure to report the death of a person, preventing the lawful burial of a corpse, and attempting to pervert the course of justice. Detectives assigned to the Savanna-La-Mar Criminal Investigations Branch (CIB) are overseeing the investigation.
