Manchester family hit hard by tragic death of 5-year-old
MANDEVILLE, Manchester — In only days five-year-old Dwight Jones would have been taking his graduation walk with children his own age as he got ready to make his transition from Mandeville Infant to primary school.
Instead, he took his last breath on Friday.
The toddler is suspected to have drowned in an open water tank at his home in the community of Bottom Albion in central Manchester.
Relating the incident to the Jamaica Observer on Saturday, his father Rowan Jones said the child was at home with his mother and his 15-year-old brother when his mother left for a short visit to a nearby home.
The child reportedly told his brother after that he was going to look for his mother. Given the relatively short distance of the journey, which did not require him to go on the public road, he was allowed to go alone.
About midday, the mother and brother realised that he was not in either of their care and a frantic search began for him, the father said.
His body was reportedly found in the tank, but efforts to resuscitate him proved futile.
Jones said that he had not eaten since the death of his youngest child and found himself suddenly restarting to smoke, which was no longer a part of his lifestyle.
“Everybody break down,” he said.
Jones on Saturday started to release the water from the tank, noting that the family was contemplating whether they will be able to continue to live at the home where the tragic memory lingers.
Rowan Jones’ brother, Winston, said that the jovial spirit of his nephew was amusement for the family.
“Even when you don’t want to laugh him mek you laugh,” he said.
The child’s father said that water from the tank was used in the care of animals and for some domestic chores.
He said that he has lived at the house ‘on-and-off’ for more that 30 years and eight of his other children grew up safely around the tank.
He said that his deceased son was often warned about the dangers of the tank, and it seemed that he was aware of the danger as he often said he knew he would drown if he fell inside.
Police are, in the meantime, carrying out investigations into the death of the little boy.
