By Janet Silvera, Gleaner Writer
Salmon...had just returned from Miami, Florida.
WESTERN BUREAU:
A 36-YEAR-OLD woman who was kidnapped in Burnt Savannah, West-moreland, on Friday night was found dead last night in Flint River in the neighbouring parish of Hanover.
The woman, Lollette Salmon, girlfriend of negril hotelier Jimmy Jackson, was kidnapped by gunmen at the gate of her family's home shortly after returning from an overseas trip. At press time last night police were conducting forensic tests at the scene.
Ms. Salmon, who was travelling in a silver Toyota Rav4, licence number 7616 BK, was on her way home from the Sangster International Airport in Montego Bay, where she had arrived earlier with her brother and his children from Miami, Florida. The police had confirmed the kidnapping, but could not say whether or not the kidnappers had followed Ms. Salmon from the airport.
"We do not want the public to speculate that persons are being trailed from Sangster. We have no evidence of this," said Superintendent John Morris, Crime Chief, Area One.
Reports are that about 10:00 p.m., Ms. Salmon arrived at the home, with her driver, her brother and his two children, who she assisted into the house. On her way back to the automobile, she saw the driver being robbed by the men, who relieved him of an undetermined sum of money.
One of the men then fired a shot towards the back of the vehicle, proceeded to grab Miss Salmon, pushed her into the vehicle and drove off with her and all six pieces of luggage she arrived with.
A sombre Jimmy Jackson was still trying to make sense of the incident yesterday as he related the episode to The Sunday Gleaner.
According to Mr. Jackson, after his fiancee was kidnapped, he tried to get the police to set up roadblocks at different points within the parish, including the Ramble area in Hanover (the main thoroughfare between Montego Bay and Westmore-land), but to no avail. He has since learnt that the vehicle was seen in an area in Hanover about 11:30 p.m.
The investigating officer, Deputy Superintendent Kinsgley Whilby of the Savanna-la-Mar police said he could not comment on the statement made by Mr. Jackson. "What I know is that when the incident happened the entire area one network was alerted," he said.
On Saturday morning a search party found an empty suitcase and a travelling bag in the Chigwell area in Hanover, several miles from where the kidnapping took place. They were identified as items belonging to Miss Salmon.
Superintendent Morris said although he had no further leads, teams from four Police Divisions were working assiduously to apprehend the men. "It's still early days, and as soon as we have more details we will communicate it," he assured.
OTHER ABDUCTIONS
Among Jamaica's more recent cases of kidnappings was that of gas station operator Sylvia Edwards, 48, who was trailed from her Plantation Heights home in St. Andrew and kidnapped along Red Hills Road, St. Andrew, in July 2000. A demand for a ransom of $300,000 was made and she was later found dead after her ransom was not paid.
In October last year, a man who was abducted and held for 12 hours by members of a drug gang in the Nelson Road community of St. Andrew, was rescued by police and one of the alleged kidnappers arrested.
That same month, an elderly man and his two teenage children, who were abducted at gunpoint and were on the verge of being executed by members of a prominent drug gang with connections in the United Kingdom, were rescued by a squadron of police, in St. Andrew.
In August, a 38-year-old woman was kidnapped and raped by two men in Clarendon after she got into a taxi, which was heading towards Spanish Town. In September 2002, 39-year-old Glendon Alwood was taken away by gunmen in the East Kingston community of 'Dunkirk'.
Other kidnapping victims include: Yvonne Beaumont Walters and Jeffery Beaumont, whose bodies were found in a pit in Kingston in August 2002.
