SPUR TREE, Manchester — The official police report says Deputy Commissioner of Corrections Reverend Orville Moore, who was reported missing on Monday, was involved in an accident as his body was found mere metres from his vehicle over a precipice here on Thursday.

However, there was speculation last evening that Moore was murdered, but the police would not comment on the allegation.

Moore, the acting deputy director of rehabilitation and probation aftercare service at the Department of Correctional Services, was last seen on Fairwell Avenue, off Molynes Road in St Andrew.

Acting Assistant Commissioner of Police Cleon March confirmed that the body was found close to Moore's mangled vehicle.

"[It] appears to be the body of Acting Commissioner Reverend Orville Moore found in the Spur Tree area of Manchester. The body was found very close to his personal vehicle, which was discovered mangled. We are theorising, at this time, that the vehicle seemed to have been in a very serious accident," March said.

Unconfirmed reports are that technology was used to track Moore and may have assisted in finding his body and car. Police, however, declined to comment on that.

Up to late Thursday, police had reduced traffic on the crucial Spur Tree Hill main road to single lane in the vicinity of a deep corner where the precipice is situated.

A police source said assistance was sought from the Jamaica Fire Brigade and a crane operator to remove Moore's body and mangled vehicle from the precipice.

In a statement, the Department of Correctional Services (DCS) expressed sadness at Moore's death.

"It is a very challenging time for all of us at the Department of Correctional Services and the family of Reverend Moore. We send sincere condolence to his family, friends, and colleagues. Reverend Moore delivered exceptionally and was professional in the execution of his duties across two decades. Members of the Chaplaincy Unit have been deployed to provide counselling to his family and staff members," said Acting Commissioner of Corrections Dr Marc Thomas.

Moore began working with the Department on February 1, 2003 as a probation officer. He was appointed on October 1, 2004 and was promoted on October 1, 2017 to chief probation aftercare officer. The DCS said Moore was assigned as acting deputy commissioner, rehabilitation and probation aftercare services on May 12, 2023.

The Spur Tree main road links Mandeville and its environs to St Elizabeth and points west. Heavily laden, slow-moving trucks often hinder traffic on the steep hill, and there have been a number of accidents, mainly involving trucks, down the years.

Road safety experts theorise that inexperienced drivers as well as overweight and defective vehicles are among the main causes for accidents on the road.