MANDEVILLE, Manchester — A 20-year-old mother, who police and relatives say is a mental health patient, is now receiving treatment at hospital after she allegedly drowned her two-month-old son in a bucket of water in Top Hill district on Tuesday, triggering shock and grief in the community.

Acting commander for the Manchester police Deputy Superintendent Luhas Daniels told the Jamaica Observer that the woman is on a mental health programme. He confirmed reports that the woman was home alone with the child after her partner left to work in a field in the district Tuesday morning.

“She called her child’s father, who was in the farm, to say that she drowned the child. She was held by the mental health [team] and she is at the hospital,” Daniels said.

Relatives identified the 10-week-old baby as Mateo Forbes and said he was born on December 21, 2025.

The child’s paternal grandfather, Geoffrey Forbes, otherwise called Leon, expressed shock at the news of the incident.

“A my grandson. I don’t even know him yet, because from him born I don’t go see him. And when I heard that the girl drown him in the pan, bwoy, the whole community grieve, because is the first this ever happen in the district… Some people bawl. We never feel that this would happen,” said the elder Forbes while worrying about his grief-stricken son.

“I don’t even know how my son taking it, because the police brought him to the station to sort out some papers… The [woman] packed up her things and left and called him and said she killed the baby and left,” added the grandfather.

He said he had advised his son to end the relationship between himself and the woman.

“But he said he loves her, so he just lives with that… Sometimes she was given an injection and she [was calm] for a while,” the man said while accusing the woman of previously setting ablaze his son’s house.

He said his son’s last interaction with the infant was early Tuesday morning when he bathed the child.

“My son went to the ground, he said he bathed the baby before he left [the house]. When she called and told him that she killed the baby he couldn’t believe it and he was calling her and she wasn’t answering. He called his nephew up here and told him to go and look, so he called him and said he saw the baby in the five gallon of water headway down. Is pure mourning. Is the first baby he had,” said the grandfather.

The elderly man and neighbours said they were surprised and alarmed at the sequence of events leading to the child’s death.

“We never expected this, because we didn’t see her acting any different from when the doctors injected her,” said the grandfather.

He claimed the woman had previously been living and roaming the streets in three towns.

“Sometimes she was in Mandeville, Spalding, and Christiana. Sometimes you don’t see her for weeks,” said the elder Forbes.

His neighbour, Joan Thomas shared similar sentiments of shock and grief.

“I feel upset. I cried. I don’t know how to express how I feel about it… We never expected it, because last night the woman and her boyfriend were talking and he said he is going to the bush to draw five bags of carrots to send her to do her hair, because they are going to christen the baby this month,” said Thomas.

“Is the only child for both parents… [is the mother] was caring for him, so I don’t know what came over her this morning… We weren’t looking for this from her. This is just unfortunate,” added Thomas.

The child’s paternal grandfather, Geoffrey Forbes otherwise called Leon, speaking with the Jamaica Observer on Tuesday. He expressed shock at the incident. (Photos: Kasey Williams)

Top Hill resident Joan Thomas telling the Jamaica Observer that the killing of the infant has left her in shock.

Undertakers from Lyn’s Funeral Home leave the scene in Top Hill, Manchester on Tuesday afternoon.