WESTMORELAND, Jamaica – The police has once again renewed their call for the person of interest in connection with the murder of 40-year-old farmer Kerry Ann Williams, to turn himself in.

Williams’ decomposing body was found in a shallow grave last Friday, with stab wounds in the usually quiet community of Mount Airy, at Orange Hill, Negril, in Westmoreland.

READ: Body believed to be that of missing woman found in Westmoreland

Commanding Officer for Westmoreland, Senior Superintendent (SSP) Wayne Josephs, revealed the identity of the person of interest to OBSERVER ONLINE on Tuesday afternoon.

He is 27-year-old Courtney Cooper, otherwise called ‘Junior’ of a St Johns Road, Spanish Town, St Catherine address.

“He is a person of interest and the police have interest in speaking to him in relation to his girlfriend’s death,” SSP Josephs appealed.

READ: Cops search for boyfriend after woman’s body found in shallow grave

According to the police, Williams who lived with her boyfriend, Cooper, was last seen alive on Tuesday November 29, at 5:30 pm in the community. On December 1, about 10:54 pm, Williams’ daughter tried to contact her mother by telephone but the calls went unanswered.

Later that same day, the daughter visited her mother’s house and made checks however, neither Williams nor her boyfriend was seen. The daughter subsequently filed a missing person report.

On December 2, 2022, about 7:00 am the police along with citizens went to the home of Williams where they discovered that the door to her two bedroom board house was opened. There were no signs of forced entry. The surrounding area was searched and the partially decomposed body of Williams was discovered in a shallow grave at the rear of the house clad only in a blue brazier with what appeared to be stab wounds to her chest.

Later that same day a team of officers, acting on information, proceeded to the Texaco gas station located in Negril in the parish where Cooper was spotted. Upon seeing the police, he ran into a nearby swamp eluding the law enforcers, the police report said.

– Kimberley Peddie