Police detectives accompanied by search dogs, combed the fields at Jordan, St George for evidence this evening after the sister of a top senior police officer was discovered dead.
As word spread, a large gathering of distraught family members and lawmen gathered at the scene where the body of Malanese Eversley, sister of acting Assistant Commissioner of Police Livingstone Eversley, was found partially naked in a grassy area next to the roadway, just around 12:15 p.m.
Acting Police Public Relations Officer, Station Sergeant Roland Cobbler, said the discovery was made by members of the Barbados Fire Service who had responded to a blaze very close to where the body was found.
Barbados TODAY understands that the deceased, 60, left home early this morning to go to work in Christ Church. It was reported that when a relative called for her at her workplace, the family member was informed that she had not yet arrived.
Shocked and grief stricken relatives were unable to speak to the media. The screams and cries of some could be heard in the distance. One distraught relative had to be physically supported before she fell to the ground.
The deceased’s two sons, who were surrounded by loved ones, patiently and quietly waited until the OK was given
for them to view her body before it was taken away.
Acting ACP Eversley, who is in charge of crime, appeared composed throughout, interacting with investigators periodically. The hurt, however, was visibly etched on his face and he said that it was difficult for him to speak.
Acting Commissioner of Police Tyrone Griffith, who came from the funeral service of the relative of another officer to offer support and comfort to his colleague, expressed condolences to Eversley’s family on behalf of the Royal Barbados Police Force.
“We are going to do everything in our power to try to find out who is the perpetrator of the crime and take action. Obviously, my colleague would be devastated and I want to give him my full condolences on behalf of the force,” Griffith said.
Other senior officers also turned out in their numbers. Appeals Court Judge Sandra Mason also stopped by and offered her condolences to the acting assistant commissioner.
Eversley’s friend of 20 years, Winston Daniel, said he was tremendously affected by the death of the woman whom he described as “a quiet lady” who did not deserve to die this way.
Daniel explained that he would often give Eversley a ride on mornings whenever he was driving by and saw her walking down that same road.
“Usually I would see her, but I did not see her this morning. She was really quiet and reserved. She did not deserve this; nobody deserves this,” Daniel said.
Eversley was the latest person to die violently here as the country is gripped by a spate of crime. It was only last night that Prime Minister Freundel Stuart appealed to Barbadians to support efforts by the authorities to fight “this burgeoning problem” of violent crime, and described as cowards those who exhibit “blatant disregard” for people’s lives.
In a message to mark today’s fifth anniversary of the Campus Trendz fire which claimed the lives of six young women, the Prime Minister observed that in the year since the last commemoration, “an alarming number of citizens” had either died or had become disabled as a result of increasing acts of violence, the level to which Barbadians were not accustomed.
“In view of this, it is vital that all Barbadians lend support to the efforts of the authorities as they seek to tackle this burgeoning problem and to bring to justice those who, through their cowardly actions, have exhibited a blatant disregard for human life. In addition, we must also be resolute in our efforts to convince this small group of individuals in the society that violence does not solve problems,” Stuart said.
The Royal Barbados Police Force (RBPF) has appealed to anyone with information on the latest killing to contact the police hotline at 211, Crime Stoppers at 1-800-TIPS or the nearest police station.