A man accused of raping and killing an eight-year-old girl and then allegedly attempting suicide is now in custody.

The 27-year-old man, said to be a sanitary worker from Discovery Bay, St Ann,reportedly tried to kill himself allegedly after raping and killing Talia Thomas at his home.

Police said the child is the accused man’s neighbour and a close associate of her family.

It is reported that around 3:15 pm, the child was home with her family when the man came over and took her to his dwelling.

The suspect, police said, then tried to kill himself by putting a 9mm bullet in a pair of pliers, placing it to his forehead, and then heating the cartridge with a candle.

The bullet exploded in his forehead, causing a concussion. Family members heard the explosion in the house and went to enquire. They reportedly saw the suspect inflicting wounds on himself with a knife and found the child’s lifeless body nude in a pool of blood.

The suspect and the child were taken to hospital, where she was pronounced dead, and he was admitted in serious but stable condition.

Police, upon processing the scene, said they found four locally manufactured firearms in the suspect’s room. He is currently under police guard.