LEODA Bradshaw, the mother of one of Phillip Paulwell’s children, is facing multiple charges in connection with the abduction and suspected murder of another of his intimate partners, 27-year-old Toshyna Patterson and her 10-month-old daughter Sarayah Paulwell, the police said on Friday.

At the same time, widely reported claims that two burnt bodies were found in the Rockfort area of Kingston Friday afternoon have not been confirmed by the police up to press time.

Bradshaw was taken into police custody late Thursday evening and on Friday, Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Fitz Bailey confirmed that she was a prime suspect in the abduction of the two and would face charges.

He said three men, believed to have been involved in the abduction of Patterson and her daughter, have also been taken into custody, but it is Paulwell’s long-time partner, Bradshaw, who works with a law enforcement agency in the United States, who Bailey was willing to name.

“We think in the case of Ms Bradshaw we have evidence that we could advance a case at this time, but we want to ensure that we cross every ‘T’ and dot every ‘I’. And so, there are a number of things that are ongoing, and so we want to ensure that those have come to a conclusion before we proceed with the formal charging of her,” DCP Bailey said in a video release from the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF).

According to Bailey, the police are looking at charges of kidnapping, conspiracy to murder, and other charges against Bradshaw and the three men who are now in custody.

“The evidence that we have is very strong, and we will allow the administrative procedures to be concluded before we make that determination as there are legal issues that basically prevent us from saying much more,” he said.

“But I am convinced that we are on the right track; I’m convinced about the quality of evidence, about the potency of evidence. I’m convinced, when I look at the material, that the evidence we have garnered so far is very strong and can stand up to any scrutiny in any court of law,” added Bailey as he commended the JCF members who are conducting the investigation.

Bradshaw first commented of the abduction of Patterson and little Sarayah on Sunday, September 10 in a media release and a subsequent interview with the Jamaica Observer in which she denied having anything to do with the disappearance of the two.

“The only interaction I have ever had with Ms Patterson is through a brief Facebook exchange,” Bradshaw said in the statement.

“I have never spoken to her by phone nor have I made any arrangements to meet with her. Any such reports in social media are lies and will be passed on to my lawyer for action to be taken in the days ahead.

“I have shared all information I have with the authorities and I hope their investigation will lead to the safe return of Ms Patterson and her baby girl,” added Bradshaw.

She later told the Observer that claims Patterson received a call from someone purporting to be her and saying they wanted to meet the baby should be investigated.

“I have never spoken to this young lady, we have never met; how do you pick up yourself [and why] would you meet with a stranger you don’t know,” added Bradshaw as she noted that reports were that Patterson was picked up in a gold van by a male driver who was wearing dark shades.

“Why did you mention my name…my information was not public knowledge,” added Bradshaw.

In outlining the sequence of events surrounding Paulwell, the Member of Parliament for Kingston East and Port Royal who sits on the Opposition benches in the legislature, Bradshaw said in May their eight-year-old daughter was sent sexually explicit photos which were later followed by e-mail threats and extortion attempts.

She said the matter was reported to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, and the Broward County Sheriff’s Department Internet Crimes Against Children in the US, which later reported the matter to the Jamaican authorities.

“The threats against our child continued for months as the authorities investigated,” said Bradshaw.

She added that on Sunday, September 3, an e-mail was sent out making threats that personal information on Paulwell would be released to the public.

“They also made damning threats against our child,” said Bradshaw.

According to Bradshaw, on Tuesday, September 5, she received an e-mail indicating that Patterson had a child with Paulwell.

“I spoke to Phillip and he confirmed that he had a brief relationship with Ms Patterson and it is possible that the child was his, but he was not certain as a DNA test had not yet been done,” said Bradshaw.

“This was the first time I was hearing about Ms Patterson and the child,” added Bradshaw.

She said she sent Patterson a message on Facebook Messenger advising her that Paulwell had opened up to her about their involvement and the possibility that the child was his.

“I advised her that Phillip and I would ensure the child is taken care of financially and a DNA test would be done to ensure that Phillip was the father of the child.

“As can be seen from my exchanges with Ms Patterson, there was no anger, but just a genuine wish to see that an innocent child is taken care of and not caught up between two parents no longer in a relationship,” said Bradshaw.

She added: “I will continue to work with the local and US authorities to get to the bottom of the threats against my family, in particular our young daughter.

“I will continue to pray for the safe return of Ms Patterson and her baby and ask anyone with information to contact the police.”