Tonight, two families are grappling with grief and uncertainty after a young couple was killed. 23 year old Jerrington Ingram and 20 year old Migela Vanegas had gone down by a creek in Unitedville for an evening swim - but they never returned. The young couple - who had just started dating - were fatally shot.
Jaleeza Roberts has the story:
A pile of lumber is now left on this property as Jerry Ingram never got to come home to build a chicken coop with his father. Instead, the father, after traversing down a road that leads to a creek behind Lower Dover Jungle Hotel and a few miles from their family home, found his son's body along with that of his girlfriend Miguela Vanegas.
It's a discovery no parent could imagine having to face - and it was especially painful based on their last conversation a few days earlier.
Jerrington Jermaine Jr., Father of the Deceased
"Well the last time I speak with my son was like Wednesday my son call me and talk to me me and tell me he love up me and thing and tell he he want a job and thing you know."
"I mi want talk to my son because I mi want ih come do a lee work with me and I mi have a job, like tell the man fi mek a lee link up with a job fi mek ih go through and go deal with that but at the said time I could feel it that something mi wrong too in a way because as parents you can feel a danger according inna yo kids dem life you know, so I mi just want talk to my son and I wait fi he, I wait fi he inna ih house."
"He was alive when I reach ih house because when ih bredda call a, ih ansa ih phone and seh ah di come right now."
But he never came and his dad had to find him and identify him
Jerrington Jermaine Jr., Father of the Deceased
"Da me da the man weh gan find my son you know, I gan down da side deh, gan and look fi my son because I hear that da down da side deh ih gan tek a lee swim and thing you know, and then I hear some shots so more or likely I done know what the Goan inna the village you know. So I decide fi gan down da side deh, me and ih bredda and we find, walk down da side deh, and at the said time you know two tourists deh head a we you dig and they meet the body first and we deh right behind deh."
His father admits that this didn't come as a complete shock, as his son was having issues with other individuals in the village for years but he would have never thought that this cruel end would befall his oldest son:
Jerrington Jermaine Jr., Father of the Deceased
"The hardest thing to accept mommy, I nuh really know who do the murder, what occurred, on my part I know da something they want do long time with my son and someone get to see the way about how he walk down da side deh and they get to you know, do deh plan and move and then deh do them shooting you know. Just hide and shoot up my son because the way they shoot up son da somebody weh really mi want kill he."
"No anybody out ya wa want see dem kid dead like that, you mean one two shot could kill yo pikni but 13 shot, so much inna your face and your body, all through ih hand."
And he believes he has an idea of the group responsible for this, but this is his message to them:
Jerrington Jermaine Jr., Father of the Deceased
"We just have to answer to the good Lord by my part. He da the man weh wa judge deh. He da the man, weh wa put deh into justice, not me. God knows who do it, and they wa get fi see it pan the longer run, what wa happen to them."
This single dad remembers him as someone always smiling but he says this hurts.
Jerrington Jermaine Jr., Father of the Deceased
"Ih hurt mi, you know because that da my king, I have my next lee king, have to accept life and move on but yes he dead but he always inna my heart. You know cause everyone know out ya, that you lost but you're not forgotten, you know. Dem deh da things weh live inna yo because yo hold deh from deh da baby. At the age of 23 years old, you can't forget deh thing deh man."
For now, it is anyone's guess who looks at the young lives of Miguela and Jerry. Jaleeza Roberts, 7 News.
