BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – PARLIAMENTARY REPRESENTATIVE for Constituency Eight, the Hon. Eugene Hamilton said that the recent discovery of Leanna Napoleon’s body is a tragedy.
An obviously sad Hamilton told SKNVibes that the discovery had brought an end to the extensive searches and, now that she has been found, the nature in which the incident occurred is “in itself a tragedy”.
The 17-year-old Basseterre High School student, who was residing with her adopted mother in Keys Village since her biological mother had died some two years ago, went missing on Monday, May 8, 2017 and police had discovered her body in a shallow grave in the Olivees Mountain area on Wednesday (Jun. 14).
This despicable inhumane act, which had caught the attention of not only the local media house but those regionally and internationally as well, was also condemned by all other Parliamentarians during the passage of the Firearm Amendment Bill, 2017, last Thursday.
Hamilton questioned the rationale behind Napoleon’s abduction and death, lamenting that she “had a whole life ahead of her”.
“I don’t know that she was involved in anything on the ground, but, even so, at 17 it is a tragic way to lose one’s life.
“So, yes, I am concerned! All young people around need to be cognizant of their whereabouts all the time; be careful, conscious and alert of your surroundings,” he pleaded.
The Minister pointed out that everyone now needs to work together to close the gaps and identify “what are the things that are causing people to do such criminal acts. I would trust that politics do not divide us on that issue”.
“I want to say to the family my condolences. I want to say to the immediate adopted mother my sympathies and I trust that some lessons all of us will learn from what happen,” he added.
He congratulated the police, who have in recent times came in for heavy criticisms from some politicians and members of the public during their search operations and after the body was discovered.
“Even though it took six weeks, it showed that they didn’t relax on this issue and they have now had some positive results.
“I want to encourage people who see something to say something, because I would hope that the person or persons who would have committed this crime that the love of God would move them to confess. Because, if they confess they might feel a bit relieved, because I trust they do not keep on this burden and go on to commit more crimes.”
The police are currently carrying out investigations into the matter and not much information has been released, but just to say that “one person is in custody assisting with the investigation”.
However, information reaching this publication stated that Napoleon’s elder brother, Brandon Lee Wells, was on Saturday (Jun. 17) charged with her murder.
Leanna Napoleon’s death has taken to 15 the number of homicides committed in the Federation for this year; six on Nevis and nine on St. Kitts.
