DEATH THREATS
Portland family of alleged abductor ponders fleeing community as disgrace takes toll
Published:Monday | October 18, 2021 | 12:07 AMGareth Davis Sr/Gleaner Writer
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NORWICH, Portland: The family of Davian Bryan, the Portland man who allegedly abducted nine-year-old Phylisa Prussia and who has been implicated in the disappearance of another girl, said that they are now living in fear after receiving death...
NORWICH, Portland:
The family of Davian Bryan, the Portland man who allegedly abducted nine-year-old Phylisa Prussia and who has been implicated in the disappearance of another girl, said that they are now living in fear after receiving death threats.
Sixty-five-year-old Herbert Bryan, who fought back tears on Sunday during an interview with The Gleaner outside of his Norwich residence, said that since his son ran afoul of the law, he, his daughters, and his common-law spouse have had sleepless nights.
A near 500-person manhunt comprising police, soldiers, and civilians has been launched for the 32-year-old after he was alleged to have abducted Phylisa in Bath, St Thomas, late Thursday, sparking national outrage.
Phylisa was found in bushes Saturday afternoon and taken to hospital for examination.
The elder Bryan painted a portrait of Davian Bryan, 30, as being a quiet boy who attended Norwich Primary, then Fair Prospect High, where he received a well-rounded education.
Bryan, who recounted that his son had always been sociable with children, buying them snacks with money from his earnings, fell from grace after allegedly raping a woman in the community in 2020.
“Mi look pon him and mi say, ‘Davian, yuh know say yuh salt.’ Mi carry di man from yah and go a mi madda (mother) yard and go lef’ (leave) wid mi madda. And di man come back come double di dose. ...
“It look like him have it inna him mind or him head no good or wha (what)? Everybody say him fi dead,” the father told The Gleaner.
According to the obviously distraught father, he has, overall, financed legal fees of $500,000 for his son.
Bryan said that he last saw his son several months ago when the case was mentioned in the Portland Parish Court at Bryan’s Bay. The father said that he handed $50,000 to the lawyer in his son’s presence.
The elderly Bryan, who does odd jobs including drain cleaning, landscaping, digging septic pits, and sharpening machetes for community residents, disclosed that he is now losing weight rapidly as the disgrace of the allegations surrounding his son have taken a toll on him.
Bryan said that tensions are high in the community, triggering a war of words between his family and others in the rural district.
RELATIONS BROKEN DOWN
The alleged death threats have been reported to the police, but the Bryan family is harbouring thoughts of fleeing the community as once-friendly relations with neighbours and other residents have reportedly descended into hate and recrimination.
That situation has worsened with the disappearance of another 13-year-old girl, Winshae Barrett, also from the district of Bath.
Assistant Commissioner of Police Gary Griffiths has confirmed that Bryan is a suspect in the second disappearance.
Davian Bryan was charged by detectives from the Criminal Investigative Branch in Port Antonio on July 16, 2020, with rape and illegal possession of firearm and ammunition following an incident six days earlier.
According to the police, Bryan was granted bail in the sum of $600,000 with the condition to not reside in Norwich.
He was to report to the Bath police on Wednesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays between the hours of 6 p.m. and 6 a.m., with curfew orders between 8 p.m. and 6 a.m.
His bail was also extended by the Gun Court division of the Portland Circuit Court,and he is scheduled to return to court on February 17, 2022.