BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – A young man was this morning (Feb. 16) found hanging by the neck from a rope attached to a tree close to the Caribbean Sea in Dieppe Bay.
Dead is Andy ‘Dick’ Mitchell of Dieppe Bay, who is said to be in his early 20s.
On arrival at the scene, SKNVibes was told that very early this morning a resident had discovered Mitchell’s hanging body in an area east of an old primary school in Dieppe Bay known as ‘Barthum’, the local term for bottom.
One resident, who claimed to have known the deceased on a personal basis, said many people in the village were shocked on hearing of his death, because “Dick was not known as an individual who would want to take someone’s life, much less his own”.
The resident however noted that Mitchell was acting very strangely yesterday, and that he had given his cellular phone to a very close relative after collecting a sum of money from that person, whom he told not to cry for him.
Another villager claimed that Mitchell went to her home yesterday afternoon and told her to inform one of her relatives that he was in love with her and they would soon be married.
According to the Police Press and Public Relations Officer, Inspector Vaughan Henderson, a report of the incident was made at the St. Paul’s Police Station at about 7:25 a.m. and officers had responded immediately.
Henderson also said that the District Medical Officer was summoned to the scene and had pronounced Mitchell dead.
At approximately 9:40 a.m. when this publication was leaving the scene, Mitchell’s body was still hanging from the tree. However, Henderson explained that members of the Crime Scene Department had not yet arrived and, on completion of their investigation, the body would have been taken down.
He also said that police could not say at this time if it were foul play or not, but the public would be informed following a post mortem on the body and conclusion of their investigations.
