SONIA Williams could not contain her emotions yesterday when she returned from church to find three of her children dead – all with their throats slashed and with multiple stab wounds to the bodies.

Williams, 35, who was treated at hospital for shock, had returned from the Shiloah Apostolic Church at about 12:30 yesterday morning after helping other church members season chicken for a church luncheon which was scheduled for yesterday in Killon Cholly, a small district outside of Highgate, the St Mary capital.

But Wiiliams’ joy after completing a day’s work at her church turned into a nighmare when she stumbled onto the body of one of her daughters at the gate of her humble two-room board house in Killon Cholly. When she hurried inside the house she saw two of her other children dead.

The only one saved was a little baby – Jamel Williams, one-and-a-half years-old, who was seen standing over her dead siblings.

The police said Williams made an alarm and was assisted by residents who took the children to the Annotto Bay Hospital where they were all pronounced dead.

The bodies were later removed to Mizpah funeral home for post-mortem examination.

Dwayne Davidson, 15; Sue-Ann Gordon, 13; and Shanice Williams, four years old, were all killed for what was said to be an ongoing family feud.

The perpetrator(s) entered the house from the front after removing a piece of plastic used as substitute for a missing pane of glass and opened the window. Muddy footprints were left on the blood-soaked beds to show how entry was gained.

A man, whom the Highgate police said is a deportee, has been taken into custody for questioning in connection with the gruesome murder of the three kids.

Sergeant Dwight McPherson, the officer in charge of the Highgate police, said the man gave police several addresses including Killon Cholly in St Mary, Huddersfield in St Mary, Cardiff Hall in Runaway Bay, St Ann and Port Royal in Kingston.

The children were attacked as they slept. Sue-Ann apparently tried to escape but was chased and caught at the gate and her throat slashed. One of her hands was slit and she had several stab marks to the body.

Williams’ sister, Sylvia Bailey, with whom Dwayne and Sue-Ann grew up during their early years, and who was one of the first on the scene after Williams raised an alarm, said it appeared Dwayne was killed in his sleep.

“When she (Williams) go inside everybody was dead. The boy look like him was still sleeping when dem kill him because he was still lying in a sleeping position in the bed, him normally sleep on him back and him was just there with him hand at him side,” Bailey said.

“They cut their throats, all three of them, they had cuts all over.

They found the girl with about three cuts at the throat, under the arm, under the breast, she get a stab in har belly, her tripe looked like it a pulp out; the little baby tripe come out and then, Lord Jesus, the likkle bwoy have about three cut a him neck, no small cut, large cut,” said Bailey as tears welled up in her eyes.

Bailey, who lives a short distance down the road from Williams, said they had returned from church with another sister who stays with her (Bailey). Shortly after, they heard her scream out.

“Mi hear Lord Jesus unnu come quick, quick, quick! Francella unnu come quick!”

She said that she was trying to open the gate and it couldn’t open so she peeped over and saw the girl lying at the gate; that’s when she bawled and screamed out, Bailey said.

There was an outpouring of emotion in the St Mary district yesterday. “Me feel like me a go dead; from morning mi nuh drink tea; me feel weak inna me belly; a me church sister,” wailed one woman who said she had been living in Killon Cholly for close to 20 years.

Another resident, Clarence Beckford, who is the father of three young children, said he felt devastated but said it was a ‘sign that the end was near’.

“Me feel it for dem still because me know the whole a dem wha dead and when me look into life and think me feel. (to) turn over my life to God.because this world coming to an end.,” Beckford said.

Dwayne and Sue-Ann, both students of the St Mary High School, were both baptised about five years ago and were active members of their church.

Relatives said Dwayne, a fourth form student, and his sister, who was in second form, were looking forward to yesterday (sports day) at the school.

“We all feel very bad about it,” said a group of female students from St Mary High as they walked along the streets of Highgate yesterday afternoon. They said the entire school was saddened by what had happened.

The murder of the kids has been blamed on an ongoing family dispute that has dragged on for years. Less than a hundred metres from where the gruesome killing took place yesterday morning, Williams’ brother and two other relatives were killed in their two-room board house.

gilchristc@jamaicaobserver.com