Rumours are hurting already bereaved family, says father of Shineka Gray

Western Bureau:

Robert Gray, the father of murdered Green Pond High School teen Shineka Gray, has described a flurry of rumours about the circumstances surrounding his daughter's brutal death as counterproductive and hurtful.

"I don't know what grounds some of these statements have. But the police are doing a fine job so far. Two men are in custody and the details as to why she was killed will soon be known," said Gray, in response to several posts on social-media platform Facebook.

"Like everyone else, I am still not clear as to why she was killed, so we are depending on the police to sort that out. People should just stop the spreading of rumours. They are not helping at all," he said.

STATE OF DISBELIEF

In the meantime, a despondent Gray said the trauma has left him in a state of disbelief.

"I can't function since it happened. I cannot even sleep at nights, and my other daughter, well, she is so afraid. Sometimes I feel like I am locked in a dream," Gray said.

The family has opened a GoFundMe account for persons who wish to provide assistance. According to Rose Slowley, Shineka's grandmother, the fund was opened only because the family is being bombarded with pledges from well-wishers.

Slowley said while the family was not in need of money or any other kind of assistance to bury Shineka, and hopes to put the rumours to rest, they did not want to come across as rude to those wanting to give help.

"We have been getting telephone calls and messages from people who don't know, wanting to help in any way possible," she said.

Status of investigation

- Two men are in police custody following ongoing investigations into the murder of Shineka Gray. One of the men, a 27-year-old, said to be from Hanover, was held in connection with the case last Thursday.

- A second suspect was apprehended on the weekend during a police operation in St Thomas. He was handed over to the St James police, who are carrying out further investigations.

- The partly decomposed body of the grade 10 Green Pond High School student was found in bushes in the community of Meadows of Irwin, St James, last Wednesday, three days after she was reported missing.

- It's reported that she was last seen heading to a taxi stand, after attending the funeral for a former student at the same institution.