Daughter pulls burnt remains of mother from blaze

St Margaret’s Bay, Portland:

With her heart beating rapidly and tears flowing down her cheeks, Annmarie Bryan, daughter of 60-year-old farmer Cynthia Hinds described her painful ordeal in removing her mother’s burnt body from a hut yesterday in St Margaret’s Bay, Portland.

The partially burnt body of the female plantain farmer was found with chop wounds at her farm shortly after 8 a.m. by another farmer, who was passing on the way to his farm, which is less than 600 meters from the crime scene.

Bryan, who first learned about the murder of her mother when her stepfather stopped by and informed her that something bad had happened down by the farm and that they should hasten to see what it was, said it was total fear and disbelief that gripped her.

“I realised that something was wrong,” said Bryan.

“Mi jump inna di the car, and when mi cum down here, the hut was on fire. I took my bare hands and hold di burning zinc,and when I look, I saw the remains of my mother. Di two foot dem off, di hand dem off, the forehead buss, the belly-side buss out.”

She wailed, “Justice mi a seek fi mi madda! She nuh deserve dis! She nuh deserve dis!”

Bryan noted, “Anybody in a Portland or Jamaica call di name of Winey Tiney Cynthia Hinds, a one word come to dem mouth: farming or farmer. She nuh deserve this! She nuh deserve dis! Right now har remains ova de so. Yuh hear? It ova de so bun out! Come een like when breadfruit bun up and yuh knock it and di ashes drop off. Mi need justice fi mi mother, so mi a ask Jamaica fi help wi get justice fi Cynthia!”

Hinds, who was affectionately called Tiney or Winey by residents, was described as a kind, compassionate, and friendly person in the community of St Margaret’s Bay, where she reportedly contributed her time, energy, and produce towards assisting students in their quest to acquire quality education.

JUSTICE FOR FAMILY

Yesterday’s brutal slaying of the female farmer left dozens of residents in the quiet community of St Margaret’s in a state of shock and disbelief.

Acting commanding officer in charge of the Portland police division, Throyville Haughton, told The Gleaner that investigators are doing everything in their power to bring justice to the family.

“Shortly after 9 this morning (yesterday), the police were alerted to a section of a farm in St Margaret’s Bay, where a hut was seen burnt out. We found the charred remains of a female suspected to be that of Cynthia Hinds, a 60-year-old farmer of St Margaret’s Bay,” Haughton said.

“The circumstances surrounding the incident are not yet fully clear to the police, but it is of major concern and one that we want to settle in the shortest possible time. I have seen that the community is hurting, and they can be assured that we will do our best to get to the bottom of this matter as quickly as possible. I am making an appeal to everyone to assist the police with what they know.”

Haughton has admitted that the police are overly concerned about the spate of murders rocking the once peaceful north-eastern parish. Since the start of the year, Portland has recorded 11 murders, compared to six for the same period last year.

“This is the third incident involving individuals being killed and set ablaze. We have not yet confirmed whether this is an actual murder, but as lawmen, charged with the responsibility to serve, protect, and reassure, we are very concerned,” said the acting commanding officer.

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