‘What happened to Melissa Silvera?’

A case review into the suspected murder of Melissa Silvera is expected to determine, among other things, whether the initial investigating officer, a police sergeant, attended upon the scene by himself.

Silvera, the wife of former St Mary Western Member of Parliament Jolyan Silvera, died at home in Stony Hill, St Andrew, on November 10.

The Gleaner has been reliably informed that the policeman, who is attached to a police station in St Andrew North division, went to the Diamond Court home of the Silveras alone.

This, according to information received by The Gleaner, is a breach of protocol.

“The rules are clear. No one goes on patrol or assignment and no one police should be left at the station,” a senior crime-fighter said.

Several officers with whom The Gleaner spoke said a shortage in personnel might have been a factor as the station in question is known to be short of its staff complement.

That station reportedly serves around 10 large communities.

“Him (Srg) and the DC (district constable) at work and him tell the DC stay and him go give response,” a policeman close to the probe said.

Another senior officer told The Gleaner that the officer in question is still on duty as no instructions have been given otherwise.

The Gleaner was told that a case review meeting was held on Monday with the head of the crime branch and investigators attached to the Major Investigation Division.

“The policeman made a huge blunder … going there by himself and not properly inspecting the body of the deceased … ,” the senior officer said.

The Gleaner was told that someone at the location was against the policeman lifting a covering placed over the deceased, citing that she was naked.

The initial report was that Silvera, 40, died suddenly while sleeping a month shy of her eighth wedding anniversary.

Last week, it was revealed that three bullet fragments were found inside her body during an autopsy.

The wounds were reportedly in the lower abdomen and leg.

“The information we are hearing is that it was the police who requested a postmortem but, because of the overcrowd, the date was not until last week,” a senior officer said.

The Gleaner was told that the policeman who went to scene saw no blood but was uneasy and made a postmortem order through the forensic lab.

The postmortem was reportedly done at a morgue in Kingston where the body was stored.

Deputy Commissioner of Police Fitz Bailey, head of the crime portfolio, had told The Gleaner that the probe was upgraded to a murder investigation based on the development.

A family friend told The Gleaner the death was suspicious from the start.

“She was healthy, and we were out with her just days before, eating and drinking. This was a total shocker to us and, from the get-go, our initial thought was something was not right,” said the friend, who requested anonymity.

“Initially, I heard it was the son who found her, and she was sitting up … blood was coming from her waist down, those are the things we were hearing. Plus, after that, the kids’ tablets and devices were yanked. We just want to know what happened to Melissa,” the family friend said.

The Gleaner visited the community yesterday and some residents expressed concern.

“They lived up there. We were shocked by the news of her death and then we heard she was shot and killed. We haven’t seen much of the husband since but it must be hard what he is going through,” a resident said.

“We did not know of any problems between them. They had the tragedy with the son who drowned, and they kept together and had another child,” another resident said.

The residents said they have noticed police personnel making the rounds at the home since news of the major development broke on the weekend.

A policeman said the police sergeant who was in charge at the station at the time may face disciplinary actions.

“It can range from a transfer to interdiction, depending on what the probe yields,” a senior officer said.

The Gleaner understands that detectives have the hard task, already six weeks behind, to redraft the scene.

“The disadvantage is that the entire space has been modified. Tiles lifted and changed, different bed and position and fresh paint job makes all that much more difficult,” the policeman said.

The Silveras tied the knot on December 12, 2015 during a star-studded ceremony held at the St Andrew Parish Church.

The nuptials were witnessed by guests including former Prime Minister PJ Patterson, Lisa Hanna and others high-profile members of the People’s National Party including Mikael Phillips and Ian Hayles, who was the best man.

Melissa’s parents were known party affiliates.

The PNP on Monday acknowledged with grave concern the recent developments regarding the tragic death.

The party said it expressed its deepest sympathies to the family and friends affected by the distressing event.

“We firmly believe in the rule of law and support the ongoing investigation by law enforcement agencies to ascertain the truth behind Melissa’s untimely death,” the party said in a statement. “At this time, it is imperative to allow the authorities to conduct a thorough and impartial investigation into this matter.”

Efforts to reach commander of the St Andrew North Police Division, Superintendent Sherika Service, proved futile.

The St Andrew North police division has recorded 56 murders as at December 16.

This represents a 3.4 per cent reduction year on year.

The national murder toll now stands at 1,349, an eight per cent decline when compared to the similar period last year.

andre.williams@gleanerjm.com