Updated | St Ann Police probing suspected case of fatal food poisoning

Carl Gilchrist, Gleaner Writer

The St Ann Police are probing a suspected case of food poisoning involving two women.

One remains admitted at the St Ann’s Bay Regional Hospital, while the other has since succumbed.

The deceased has been identified as Moya Whyte, who is of a Greenwich, Steer Town address in the parish.

Whyte died last week.

“A post mortem would have to be done which will determine the cause of death and based on that we might have to do further investigation,” head of the St Ann Police, Superintendent Carlos Russell, told The Gleaner on Tuesday.     

“We are not sure that it’s food poisoning, there is a death investigation going on and the police are exploring all angles,” he added. 

The police had reported that on Thursday, November 19 about 4:00 p.m. Whyte and another woman asked a man to purchase lunches for them from a restaurant in St Ann’s Bay. 

The lunches consisted of fried chicken, rice and peas, and pasta. 

Both women consumed the meals and later fell ill.

They were rushed to the St Ann’s Bay Regional Hospital where they were both admitted. 

Whyte died the following day while undergoing further treatment. 

The police later visited the restaurant where the food was purchased and collected samples of powder seasonings for forensic analysis.  

Information reaching The Gleaner is that personnel from the St Ann Health Department interviewed several persons on Monday to determine if poisoning may have played a part in Whyte’s death. 

Efforts to get a comment from the department were unsuccessful. 

Editor's Note: In a previous version of this story the deceased was incorrectly identified as Carleen Gray. We regret the error.

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 at onlinefeedback@gleanerjm.com or editors@gleanerjm.com.