CHRISTIANA, Manchester — Up to press time on Tuesday the police were still trying to locate the father of 13-year-old Shantina Sergeant whose charred and decomposed body was found under a zinc beside a burnt-out refrigerator in Baillieston, Clarendon.

He is 46-year-old Lawrence Oliver Sergeant, otherwise called Marcus, a farmer of a Riverside Drive, Baillieston, Clarendon, address.

Head of the Manchester Police Superintendent Carey Duncan disclosed near midday on Tuesday that investigators believe the elder Sergeant can assist in the investigation into his daughter’s death.

“We have also activated our special units in the space to try and locate Mr Lawrence Sergeant who, as I said, we believe can assist in this investigation,” Duncan told journalists.

He outlined the sequence of events which led police to the child’s family home in Baillieston, Clarendon, which falls under the jurisdiction of the Manchester police.

“On Friday a missing person report was received at the Christiana Police Station in respect of one Shantina Sergeant, a 13-year-old student of the Christiana High School. Shantina was last seen on Wednesday of last week and, as part of our investigations, the detectives in that space visited her home where the charred remains of a body believed to be that of Shantina was found in a burnt-out refrigerator,” Duncan said.

When the Jamaica Observer visited Christiana High School shortly after midday on Tuesday it was a sombre mood at the two-shift institution.

Principal Leecent Wallace said Shantina was enrolled on the afternoon shift but attended classes irregularly in the past week.

“Last week Shantina turned up on Monday. She did not come on Tuesday. She came Wednesday and thereafter we didn’t see her again until on Monday [when] we heard of the tragic loss,” he told journalists.

“We were told that the father turned up at the Christiana Police Station on Friday, reporting her missing, and so when we got the call from the Christiana police we went through our registers and we recognised that she did not turn up at school the Thursday prior to the Friday as well,” added Wallace.

The principal told journalists that when checks were made as to why Shantina did not turn up for classes, “My information is that when we inquired about her whereabouts on Thursday, it is alleged that the father indicated that she was ill on Thursday and was not feeling well, and he would have known about her whereabouts,” said Wallace.

“It came as a surprise to us on Monday, — [when] we did not see her — to hear of her demise in such a tragic way,” added Wallace.

When asked about the school’s records to monitor students’ attendance, Wallace said guidance counsellors reach out to check on students who are missing from school.

“Our guidance and counselling unit is notified as soon as students are absent on our register for perhaps a week or so. We notify the guidance counsellors, and they do go out and do their home visits to ensure that everything is okay with the students,” said Wallace

“It is really a sad day. We are still a shift school. The students on the morning shift, we met with them already. We [saw] where our students are not coping well but we have our guidance counsellors on board. We have teachers, [and] the trauma unit from the Ministry of Education, [as well as] the members of the police’s [Community Safety and Security Branch] from Kingston and Manchester, have turned up to support us and we see where we are getting support for the students,” he added.

Wallace, in an address to students, declared that Shantina’s death is a sudden and tragic loss.

“Shantina joined our school community [in] January, transferring from Excelsior High School… Her presence, though short-lived, left an impact on those who crossed paths with her,” said Wallace of the grade eight student .

“Shantina’s passing is one that we have been taken aback by, shocked and surprised in terms of the circumstances surrounding her death… When I heard of her passing I visited the site where she resided in Baillieston, and to see her lifeless [body] being taken away was very painful. It could have been any one of you,” he told students.

“I am praying for comfort. I am praying for peace. I am praying for unity in this difficult time. If you have to cry, that is okay, but we know that Shantina is gone to a better place and we will take solace from that,” added Wallace.

Anieta Bailey, community relations education officer at the Ministry of Education’s Region Five, said trauma teams were dispatched to offer grief counselling at the school.

“We are very saddened, and we certainly do not condone any acts of violence towards any Jamaican — and certainly not against our children. The ministry… deployed a trauma response team, supported by our regional guidance and counselling unit… to provide psychosocial support for the children at the school as well as the staff that are here today,” said Bailey.

She urged parents and guardians to be more vigilant in the wake of the number of children reported missing recently.

“I think it speaks to a large trend across the country in terms of what is happening with our children. We, as well, empathise with the family at Manchester High School and we really support their efforts at locating Jayden [Smith]. We can only imagine how difficult it is for his [family] and his school family in terms of the fact that he is missing.

“I believe it is important that, as a country, we really try to be greater involved in what takes place with our children. Especially as parents, it is very difficult for us to always be managing and supporting the children at all times but we have to be vigilant in terms of what is happening to them. What are they being exposed to… particularly [on] social media? The ministry has systems in place to support parents through the National Parenting Support Commission,” added Bailey.

She pointed to the recently rolled out rural school bus system as part of efforts to protect children.

“We rolled out our national school bus programme, and these are some of the initiatives that we try to put in place to ensure the safety and security of our children as they leave school [to] try to get them home. It may not be a fix-all to everything but, in addition to that, these efforts can be bolstered when citizens everywhere see something and say something,” Bailey argued.

An undated photo of 13-year-old Shantina Sergeant in her Excelsior High School uniform. She was transferred to Christiana High School in January.

A teacher consoling a student at Christiana High as she mourns the death of her schoolmate, 13-year-old Shantina Sergeant. (Photo: Kasey Williams)

This teacher consoles a student at Christiana High as she mourns the death of 13-year-old Shantina Sergeant, her schoolmate. (Photo: Kasey Williams)

Principal of Christiana High School Leecent Wallace and Anieta Bailey, community relations education officer at the Ministry of Education’s Region five, look at the memorial altar created in honour of deceased 13-year-old, Shantina Sergeant. (Photo: Kasey Williams)