MONTEGO BAY, St James — The ruling Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) yesterday reacted with shock at the passing of its former caretaker for Westmoreland Central, Faye Reid-Jacobs, who allegedly committed suicide at her Long Mountain home in St Andrew, on Sunday night.

“The party is shocked at her death. This is totally unexpected,” said JLP General Secretary Dr Horace Chang, in a release yesterday.

“She was an important member of the party; committed to the principles and vision of the party. We are all in shock and mourning at this time,” Dr Chang added, noting that even after Reid-Jacobs resigned as caretaker for the Westmoreland Central constituency last year, she remained “close to the party”.

The Jamaica Constabulary Force’s Corporate Communications Unit reported that Reid-Jacobs allegedly ingested a chemical substance at her Long Mountain residence at about 6:30 pm on Sunday.

She was taken to hospital where she was pronounced dead about two hours later, the police say.

Yesterday, JLP caretaker for Westmoreland Central George Wright, who succeeded Reid-Jacobs as the party’s standard-bearer in the constituency, also expressed surprise and shock at her passing, saying “it will be a great loss to many in the constituency”.

“She (Reid-Jacobs) was very friendly; she dedicated a lot of time and resources to the party and constituency and wanted to see a change for the people of Westmoreland,” Wright told the

Jamaica Observer.

Wright, who lost in his bid to represent the constituency in the February 25 General Election, when he was defeated by the People’s National Party’s (PNP’s) Dwayne Vaz, told theObserver that Reid-Jacobs played a very important role in his election campaign.

“In fact, she was with me campaigning every day, from nomination day right up to the end on election day. She will be sadly missed,” Wright said, adding that he last spoke with Reid-Jacobs about a week ago when she was in Westmoreland, visiting her ailing mother in hospital.

Businessman and former president of the Montego Bay Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Davon Crump said he, too, spoke with Reid-Jacobs recently, and that she was in high spirits.

“I am shocked and in mourning at this time about the death of Faye Reid-Jacobs. She was a very good friend of mine and so, her death has really come as a shock and surprise to me,” said Crump, a friend of Reid-Jacobs for more than 25 years.

The Opposition PNP, in a press release, said it was with the deepest of regret and profound sorrow that it learnt of the untimely passing of Reid-Jacobs.

“The PNP is indeed saddened by this event and offers our sincere condolence to her family and friends. We give thanks for Faye’s life, her contribution to the political life of this country and pray comfort for all her connections that they will find the strength to endure this period of great loss,” the party said.

A number of people in Westmoreland who spoke to theObserver yesterday also expressed surprise at her untimely passing.

Reid-Jacobs was the daughter of Edward and Edith Reid, and sister of late former president of the Montego Bay Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Pauline Reid. A Westmoreland native, Reid-Jacobs unsuccessfully contested the December 1, 2014 by-election in Westmoreland Central following the death of then Agriculture Minister Roger Clarke, polling 6,268 votes to Vaz’ 8,720.

In September 2015, she tendered her resignation as the party’s standard-bearer in the constituency, citing inadequate financial resources needed to mount her campaign in a bid to wrest the seat from the PNP in the general election, which was held on February 25.

Reid-Jacobs, who studied banking and finance as well as international human resource management and organisational behaviour, held senior executive positions in major Caribbean banks and used her expertise to serve the region’s banking and financial services sectors.

She was also a founding director of Caribbean Integrated Financial Services Ltd; an associate of the Chartered Institute of Bankers (London); and a Fellow of the IFS School of Finance, formerly the Chartered Institute of Bankers, London. In addition, she had accreditation from the University of London at the master’s level in international human resource management and organisational behaviour.

She was also listed in theWho’s Who of Professionals in 2000 and theJamaica Directory of Personalities.