MANDEVILLE, Manchester — Two teens charged in connection with the attempted murder of one of their peers, who was left to die in a cave, were remanded when they appeared in the Mandeville Resident Magistrate’s Court yesterday.

Anthony Forbes, 18, is before the Court on a charge of attempted murder, while a 16-year-old (name withheld because he is a minor) is charged with conspiracy to murder.

The two are to return to Court on March 12.

The police have confirmed that they are searching for a third teenager, a 17-year-old boy, alleged to have been involved in the crime.

Robert Cleary, father of the injured 17-year-old who is recovering in hospital under police protection, told the Jamaica Observer that he believes the teenager on the run is extremely dangerous.

“Those guys (must) be put away. They are monsters in our society,” said Cleary.

The police have confirmed that the fugitive, a high school student, has a case pending in the Porus Children’s Court for stabbing another youngster late last year in his community of New Hall, central Manchester.

He was reporting to the Mandeville Criminal Investigation Bureau according to the conditions of his bail.

In the latest incident, the teenaged victim from Inverness in Central Manchester — who turned 17 on Monday — was found on February 14 in a remote cave in New Hall, severely wounded with stab wounds and other injuries.

He had gone missing on February 12 after attending school.

Patrick Brown, who knows the injured boy and some of his friends, said that it was through his prodding that he got information from a close friend of one of the accused in order that the injured teenager could be found.

Brown said the victim claimed from his hospital bed that the accused teenagers first tried to drown him in water at the cave.

When that method was not effective he was cut, stabbed and set afire with the use of kerosene oil and a tyre.

Cleary said that his son related accounts of the student who is on the run, cutting his hand and

drinking his own blood as the attack unfolded.

The injured teenager reportedly “formed dead” and the boys did not stay to watch the tyre burn out.

He is said to have removed the burning tyre and made attempts to rescue himself before he fell and hit his foot in the cold, dark cave and was unable to move.

Brown said he was at the cave with Cleary when the victim was found.

He claimed maggots could already be seen coming from a wound on his jaw.

Cleary said that while his son may get a chance of recovering physically, there will be severe psychological scars.

“We don’t let him see a mirror as yet. We don’t know how him a go manage,” he said.

One of the accused now in custody is also from Inverness.

The relationship which the victim shared with that accused is said to be “like brothers”.

The other accused is said to be from John’s Hall in North West Manchester, while the one on the run is from New Hall, close to where the cave is located.

Cleary said that it was out of curiosity that his son agreed to go and see the cave with the other boys upon an invitation from the one still on the run.

He said one of the accused even paid his fare from Mandeville in order to ensure that he made the trip.

Pettora Cleary said that her younger brother is not “a bad person” and she was shocked when she heard the news.

A New Hall resident who did not give his name said that while many people in the area knew of the cave, it is visited quite infrequently.

He described the crime as “devious”.

A middle-aged resident, Durvine Henry, said the incident showed a deficiency in parenting in many instances.

The police said they are continuing their investigations to establish a motive for the incident.