Double homicide: Mother and 10-year-old daughter found dead in Nassau Village

Double homicide: Mother and 10-year-old daughter found dead in Nassau Village
Mortuary services personnel remove the body of a victim found dead on Stark Street, Nassau Village, September 28, 2020. (FILE PHOTO)

NASSAU, BAHAMAS — A mother and her young daughter were found dead in their Stark Street, Nassau Village, home yesterday morning, according to authorities.

Officers responded to reports of two women being found dead around 8am, and found the girl who appeared to be around 10 and her mother who is believed to be 30 with injuries, according to Assistant Superintendent Audley Peters, police press liaison.

Asked about the motive for the killings, Peters said it was unclear, but based on the “evidence we are looking at, it appears to be domestic in this incident”.

When how the mother and daughter were killed, Peters said he was unable to say “what instrument was used because we are in the initial stage of the investigation and a medical practitioner has to determine the cause of death in these instances”.

According to Peters, police were following a promising lead.

He said: “In due course, you should hear the results of that.”

In a later update around 7pm, Peters said police had not arrested anyone in connection with the incident as yet.

Expressing concern about domestic matters in The Bahamas while on the scene of the killing, Peters said: “The home is supposed to be the safest place.

“Apparently, for a long time now in our community, that has not been the case in all aspects, and so whenever complaints of domestic violence come to the attention of the police, we seek to act on it as quickly as possible.

“However, in some instances, individuals make reports to police and they return and decide not to continue with those reports.

“We understand that there is a process that persons, whether it be the victim or whether it be the perpetrator, there is a process that they go through when violence occurs in the home.

“And so, what we can say as police officers, all we can do is take the initial complaint, [and] act at the request of the victim.

“Where we can, we refer the persons to the Ministry of Social Services for counseling or the relevant agencies who can assist with respect to family parenting. And so, we are concerned.

“In our concern, our actions are limited as to what we can do to eliminate the act in itself in its entirety.”

The murders come a week after seven-year-old Reyes Williams, a Thelma Gibson Primary School student, was shot and killed during a drive-by shooting on Esmeralda Avenue and Alexander Boulevard, Nassau Village.

“Everyone, everywhere is concerned about the violence that is proliferating in our communities, but more importantly the guns that are out there,” Peters said.

“We consider it that it’s everyone’s responsibility who knows of an individual who has a firearm in their possession to report that incident to police.

“At the end of the day, the person who is aware of it could become the very one who becomes the victim of that gun.”

He continued: “The loss of a life of a minor is… very disheartening for anyone who is a parent, any sensible thinking person and that’s why it is imperative for people who are aware of these persons who are in possession of firearms; who are part of illegal activities that can cause what we consider to be casualties of war, and in this instance, we are fighting against crime, which is a war that we’re waging [against].

“And again, we ask members of the public to assist us in reporting persons who are in possession of these firearms.”

As it relates to Reyes, Peters said police were searching for numerous individuals and in “due course that matter should come to a closure”.

He said there was no evidence to suggest the double murder was connected to Reyes’ death.

About Royston Jones Jr.

Royston Jones Jr. is a senior digital reporter and occasional TV news anchor at Eyewitness News. Since joining Eyewitness News as a digital reporter in 2018, he has done both digital and broadcast reporting, notably providing the electoral analysis for Eyewitness News’ inaugural election night coverage, “Decision Now 2021”.