“The system failed my daughter”

“The system failed my daughter”
Father of the murdered teen found on Yamacraw Beach, Kenroy Martin

NASSAU, BAHAMAS – The father of the murdered teen found on Yamacraw Beach believes his daughter fell victim to an ailing system.

Kenroy Martin, 44, fought back tears as he mourned his 17-year-old daughter Kenricka’s murder during an interview with Eyewitness News.

The young woman’s body was found behind the well-known Stokes Cabana property on Yamacraw Beach shortly after 7 a.m. on Wednesday.

Martin said he knew his daughter was dead when officers came to their home asking for her identification.

“Kenricka was an ambitious person,” Martin told Eyewitness News.

“She was looking to accomplish certain things in life, to grow up to be a young decent woman.

“…She was loved.”

The father-of-six said he knew his daughter had challenges, but insisted she was preyed upon.

He claimed he and Kenricka’s mother attempted to seek help from the police with his daughter’s behavior but were told that nothing could be done.

Kenricka Martin, 17, was found dead on Wednesday on Stokes Beach, Yamacraw.

“I want to blame the system for this,” Martin continued.

“I feel like the system ain’t help me. I cried out for help straight through.

“I was dealing with Kenricka from she was 15/16 years old, going to the system.”

“She was preyed upon. She is a victim of the product of her society. There’s no laws in place to stop these predators in society from girls who are 15/16 years old.”

Martin said Kenricka ran away multiple times, and had been arrested in a home during drug bust.

At that time, Martin said police told him they couldn’t speak to his daughter without her parents because she was a minor.

“But go back to when we catch her doing certain things,” Martin continued.

“They tell us she is a certain age…They tell us she was of consent.

“We run to the system again for help, and didn’t have no help, over and over.”

The distraught father said the last time he saw the teenager was the night before her body was found.

He said she came to see him around seven 7 pm.

“She had a yellow envelope in her hand saying she was going to carry it to one of her friends, a girlfriend who supposed to help her with a job,” Martin said.

“I told her ‘Kenricka it is too late to even go out that kind of time, because this like after 7 p.m., I already know all the job places than shut down.

“But she say no daddy I going right to carry this.

Martin said: “And that was the last time I see my daughter.

“She didn’t come home that night.”

Chief Superintendent Solomon Cash said the teenager was found partially nude, emerged in water on the beach shortly after 7 am.

Cash said police identified blunt force trauma to the woman’s head and abrasions to her neck.

He said police suspect that based on physical evidence from the crime scene, the incident took place right on the beach.

“We are exploring the possibility that she may have been sexually assaulted,” Cash added.

Police visited the family’s Catherine Street home around 11 a.m. that day, according to Martin.

“They come asking for identification,” he said.

“Right then I already knew my daughter dead. They ain’t had to tell me my daughter dead.”

The family has been trying to cope with their new found reality, but the wounds are still fresh.

“It strike us hard because it come out of nowhere,” Martin said.

“We see the signs and warnings and gone to the system for help.”

He offered a message to other parents who may also be seeing warning signs with their daughters.

“I tell any other parents who going through this, as a country, we will have to come together to put a law in place to do something with these people who preying on people young children,” Martin said.

“Fifteen or 16 years old is too young to give consent to a 20-something, 30-something year old man.

Martin said: “A young woman with that 20-something, 30-something year old man will have her head gone from her parents.

“She becomes a slave to that predator and the system have to put something in place to stop that.”

About Sloan Smith

Sloan Smith is a senior digital reporter at Eyewitness News, covering a diverse range of beats, from politics and crime to environment and human interest. In 2018, Sloan received a nomination for the “Leslie Higgs Feature Writer of The Year Award” from The Bahamas Press Club for her work with Eyewitness News.

6 comments

I thought the laws states, consent can be given by a 16 year old to another who is less than the age of 21.

Sometimes parents fail their children as well. The system can not fix every situation. Train up a child in the way he should go and when he is old, he will not depart.

Sometimes these kids come from the best home but they just WANTS to have THEIR own WAY they just DONT listen

THE BAHAMAS MAIN PROBLEM FOR REFORMING KIDS WILL BE A CHANGE OF THEIR CURRENT ENVIRONMENT AND EXPOSURE TO A DIFFERENT LIFESTYLE THAT KIDS BY CONSTANT TRAVEL.

I think that they need to use some of that lamd in andros and set up a place a secure placefor children like that and also proper counseling

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