THE aunt of 22-year-old Javana Russell, who is suspected to have drowned at Reggae Falls in St Thomas two Sundays ago, is questioning the events leading up to her niece’s death.

Russell left home in Montpellier District in the parish for the falls with friends with pre-birthday celebrations in mind. However, tragedy struck when she was noticeably absent from the group which travelled together from the community.

She would have turned 23 the following day.

Victoria Russell told the Jamaica Observer North East, during a visit to the parish last Tuesday, that she has heard several conflicting stories about the death of her niece, who she said she has raised since birth.

“Mi a hear too much stories, too much, but nobody can’t really tell me what really happened to Javana. She and some of her friend dem from the scheme leave go up there. Dem seh dem leave her by the falls and go cook. After dem there dem see the next girl come down and dem ask her ‘Where is Jav?’ and she seh she leave her up there in the water. When dem go up there dem couldn’t find her. Is dive a guy dive and find her under the water not breathing,” Russell said.

She said the news circulating that the younger Russell had drowned was troubling because the former St Thomas Technical student was a swimmer. She also said it was not uncommon for her niece to visit the falls, so much so that she always cautioned her about where to avoid whenever she visited.

“A regular thing fi her, regular. She guh up there more than one time, like every other Sunday or suh. She seh, ‘Mommy mi a go Lime Cay fi mi birthday’ but it never work out. She never tell mi nothing seh she a go the falls, is a call mi get seh she drown,” the woman recalled.

She said what was more troubling was a voice note being circulated about her niece’s sexuality. Russell played the troubling voice note for the Observer, in which a man is heard spewing venomous words about the victim. The man also rejoiced about Russell’s death.

“Jav nuh trouble nobody. Why dem would have dem things here to say,” the woman said as she wept bitterly.

Russell’s cousin, whom she was living with, decried reports that she committed suicide.

It hurt me the most that people are saying that. I know Jav, we talked about everything; she would never do that. I see media reports about how she dive from falls, she have sense; that’s not her,” Shashauna Willis said.

She said that the two would often talk about the type of funeral they wanted when they die.

Willis said, however, that the discussions were more frequent in recent times, because of the number of women being killed.

A teary-eyed Willis said her cousin had requested that family members wear red and black clothing to her funeral without shoes.

“Something happened that is not being said,” Willis fumed.

The Morant Bay Criminal Investigation Branch of the Jamaica Constabulary Force is investigating.