THERE was a frantic search yesterday for the deputy security chief of the Post and Telecommunication Department, Barrington Davis, who it is suspected was abducted between Wednesday night and yesterday morning.

The last time someone heard from Davis was Wednesday night when he sent a message to a friend to say that he had reached home and was okay. It could not be ascertained at what time the text message was sent and how close he was to the friend who received the message.

"The information we received is that Davis informed a friend via text message that he was okay," Alphancena Wright, Davis' niece, told the Jamaica Observer.

However, some moments later the security company that monitors Davis' home in St John's Heights, St Catherine, received a panic signal from the property.

When security officers showed up at the premises the house was ransacked and the 43-year-old Davis was nowhere to be found, according to relatives and the police. Police said Davis' car was missing, but it was not clear if anything was missing from his house.

There was speculation yesterday that he could have been kidnapped when he got to his home and his abductors forced him to send the text message saying he was okay. However, the police were up to last night staying clear of branding the disappearance of the deputy postal service security chief as a case of kidnapping or abduction. "No ransom has been made," one police officer said.

Patricia Lurmot-Barnswell — a 53-year-old woman of Marine Park in Portmore, St Catherine, who was seen in Davis' company Wednesday night — was also missing, according to the police.

Last night family members remained anxious for the safe return of their loved one. "Right now we are just trying to hold things together and keep our fingers crossed," said one family member.

Detectives were in the meantime following several leads.

Davis was last seen sporting a blue striped shirt, blue jeans pants and black shoes, while Lurmot-Barnswell was dressed in a yellow and brown dress and black slippers, according to the police.

Tandy Lewis, the public relations officer of the Post and Telecommunication Department, said that Davis' colleagues were in a state of shock when they learnt of his disappearance. "We are really concerned and our prayers are with the family members at this time," Lewis said.

Davis was on leave and is scheduled to return to work in October.