ST ELIZABETH, Jamaica — A relative of a 56-year-old St Elizabeth woman who is suspected to have drowned in Thornton district (near Siloah) on Sunday, says the victim wandered off as her caregiver was preparing dinner on a wood fire.

Relatives named the deceased as Rose-Marie Powell, a resident of Whitehall (near Accompong). Police had earlier identified her as 55-year-old Desrine Powell — an apparent error in naming the woman.

The relative, who asked not to be named, said the caregiver resorted to the wood fire as she ran out of cooking gas.

“She was there cooking. The gas finished and she went outside and put on wood fire. [Powell] was complaining about her head. She (caregiver) told [Powell] to go inside,” he said.

He added that Powell wrapped her head and went to lay down.

“The caregiver was constantly inside and outside the house checking on her. The caregiver was then outside finishing up when the rain started drizzling. She came inside and was calling saying ‘Miss Rose your dinner is ready’. When she looked on the bed she didn’t see her,” he said.

The relative said the caregiver raised an alarm in the community.

The relative sought to clarify a police report on the incident which said the caregiver left home and upon returning, discovered that Powell was missing.

READ: Police probing suspected drowning in St Elizabeth

“An eyewitness basically saw when [Powell] jumped into the river. A man apparently saw her body in the river and went to the house of the caregiver,” said the relative.

He said the caregiver broke down in tears.

“She started crying. She didn’t expect that the lady would have gone outside of the house and reached that far, it wasn’t a case where she left her unattended, it wasn’t a fault of the caregiver,” the relative said.

— Kasey Williams