Investigators, residents trying to make sense of seven year-old girl's death

There was a mixture of grief, confusion and anger on the faces of residents of 15 Omara Road in St Andrew, as they tried to make sense of the death of a seven-year girl who allegedly died from a stab wound early this morning.

Huddled in small groups, grief-stricken neighbours tried to make sense of news that Bianca Spence received a wound to the heart and later died at the Bustamante Hospital for Children this morning.

Her 31-year-old mother, Amoone Francis, who said she had been unable to console herself since receiving the news, told The Gleaner team that in her haste to see her daughter, she was nearly hit by a truck. 

Francis, a mother of five, who viewed her daughter’s body at the hospital, believes she was a victim of foul play, although an autopsy is to be done to conclude the cause of her death. Francis pleaded several times for divine help to cope with the tragedy, as she spoke to our news team.

An adult relative told our news team that Bianca awakened her nine year-old cousin about 5:00 a.m. to turn on the lights so that she could go the bathroom, but instead she went to the kitchen and returned with a knife. 

"He said: 'Heaven (Bianca's nickname) what you doing with the knife?'," the relative related.

The adult relative explained that the cousin called for Bianca's grandaunt, and the bloodied child was found on the floor. 

The relative said the nine-year-old cousin has been traumatised by the incident, and her grandaunt, who was also Bianca's caregiver, has been receiving medical attention.   

No unusual behaviour

Relatives say there was nothing unusual about Bianca's behaviour the night before. They had chicken and chips for supper and Bianca fed her baby cousin around the table. There were no signs that could have prepared them for the tragedy to come, the relative explained.

“Me cry nuff but it nuh really lick like how it fi lick me, but me cry whole heap,” Francis said as she reflected on her daughter's short life. She would have celebrated her eighth birthday on November 19.

Bianca, whose father lives overseas, was left in the care of her grandaunt, who lives a short distance away from her mother- an arrangement that had been place since Bianca was three years-old.

Neighbours said little Bianca was brought up well. She attended church and they said she was not in need of anything.

“It shock the whole a we. We never expect it, never see it coming. The grandaunt take good very good care of Bianca and when she go school she have everything, she nuh short fi nothing. She have her tablet and right now a laptop them a plan fi buy her fi go school,” a neighbour remarked.

The police, who were contacted by The Gleaner for an update, says they are piecing the clues together. 

Follow The Gleaner on Twitter and Instagram @JamaicaGleaner and on Facebook @GleanerJamaica. Send us a message on WhatsApp at 1-876-499-0169 or email us @onlinefeedback@gleanerjm.com or editors@gleanerjm.com.