More suspected human remains discovered at demolition site
Published:Tuesday | May 10, 2022 | 12:12 AMShanna Monteith/Gleaner Writer
Another box of what is believed to be human skeletal remains has been discovered at the Loyal James Lodge premises in Morant Bay, St Thomas.
The additional discovery was made by staff of the St Thomas Municipal Corporation, who began demolition activities on the derelict building on Sunday morning.
The exercise was halted shortly after it began after the initial discovery of a set of remains in a coffin and two other skulls found elsewhere in the structure, which is located across from the Morant Bay Police Station.
Following a probe, the demolition exercise was cleared to resume yesterday, but the discovery of another box bearing a skull and a few bones triggered a second halt.
O’Neil Thompson, head of operations in the St Thomas Police Division, told The Gleaner that post-mortems are to be ordered as investigations into the discoveries continue.
Job like no other
One of the workmen at the demolition site said the eerie job has been like none other.
“I have demolished a lot of places over the years, but mi never buck up on anything like this. The man dem a dig and is like the more we go through is the more we find. Yesterday, we find coffin with bone and two other skull, and today, we find another box with more bones,” he said sharing that they came upon the latter after gaining entry to another enclosed room.
The workman said that the small box, which he said was just over a foot long and wide, seemed to contain the skull of a child and about two bones of adult humans.
The skull, he said, was cushioned by what seemed to resemble shredded paper.
The workman said that the skeletal remains are but a fraction of the spooky discoveries made during the demolition exercise.
“We find three-foot pot, a board horse on wheels, all kind of thing weh look like weapon with different shapes and points like sword and a dulcimina grip … and some metal sheeting with a whole heap of symbols like moon, half-moon and so forth,” he said.
“We also saw some documents with names of members and officers dating from 1973 to 1974 … . We also found a photo suspected to be members of the lodge,” he told The Gleaner, adding that there is at least one more room to be opened before the destruction activity comes to an end.
Despite the widespread alarm, the workman said that he is unperturbed.
“Mi is a God-fearing man. Them something here nuh frighten mi. I read a lot and try to know a lot and from the first day when we find out that is an old lodge hall, nothing after never come strange to me. Mi nuh scared,” he said.