SANTA CRUZ, St Elizabeth — Police here say Romele Johnson, one of two men found dead at an auto mart in Longwood near here on Sunday, was a central figure in a lucrative car stealing ring spanning multiple parishes and connected to the sale of stolen vehicles and parts.

The other man found dead is 64-year-old businessman and car mart dealer Melvin Blythe.

Detectives spent hours combing the auto mart as they pieced together the sequence of events which led to the deaths of the renowned businessman as well as 34-year-old Johnson, otherwise called Cutty or Cow Man, a resident of Santa Cruz.

Detectives theorise that Blythe and Johnson had a struggle sometime after 3:00 am on Sunday, based on residents reportedly hearing loud explosions around that time.

Police said Blythe, a licensed firearm holder, left his home and went to his auto mart from Saturday night — a routine the businessman is said to have adopted in recent times to protect his business from car thieves.

Police theorise that Johnson breached the auto mart’s compound with the intention of dismantling cars for parts.

Detectives, while processing the scene, found a bag of tools and saw a headlight dismantled from a vehicle.

It was also observed that the grille to a building at the auto mart was open, with no signs of forced entry to that structure.

Police theorise that Blythe exited the building and confronted Johnson, and the two had a struggle during which both men were shot.

Police said Blythe’s wife became concerned after multiple calls to his phone went unanswered. She went to the auto mart where she stumbled on his body Sunday evening.

When the police were called to the location sometime after 5:00 pm detectives followed a blood trail over a 10-foot wall where Johnson’s body was found with the businessman’s firearm.

Both bodies were removed to a morgue pending an autopsy and ballistics examination.

A police source said Johnson was on bail after he was charged in relation to a December 13, 2024 incident in which cops in Westmoreland found him and two of his cronies with a stolen vehicle in their possession.

By September 13, 2025 police again linked Johnson to the theft of a Toyota Voxy in Portsea near Junction, St Elizabeth.

Police said during that incident one of Johnson’s accomplices, identified as Mark Allen Snr, otherwise called German, was fatally shot by cops in a gun battle and high-speed chase between Malvern and Southampton in St Elizabeth. Johnson reportedly eluded the police in that incident.

Police said Johnson previously served time in prison for shop breaking and larceny in Clarendon. He pleaded guilty and was sentenced to six months’ hard labour at the St Catherine Adult Correctional Centre and was released in 2019.