Numerous reports of missing persons have surfaced in the past few days, but today one family came face to face with the heartbreaking reality of what happened to their loved one after he failed to return home from fishing.
Nineteen-year-old Jaheil Westby rode his horse out to the Dyke sewage ponds yesterday, and his body was found this morning with gunshot injuries. We met with the family today and his aunt spoke on behalf of his mother. She explained what they believed led to her nephew's demise. Jomarie Lanza reports.
He went out to fish on Thursday morning and never returned home. And as night started to set in, the family of 19-year-old Jaheel Westby became concerned, with no sign of him or his horse.
Theresa Elijio, Aunt of Deceased
"When he went in the morning to fish, when my sister came from work she asked his girlfriend and she said Jaheel didn't come home and then that is not him everyday he comes home as he goes fishing he comes home so that raised an alarm for my sister and that's when she called everybody. And she called me and last night like 11:00 my sister called and she said that they had a bad feeling about Jaheel he still hasn't come home as well. He went missing from 11 in the morning yesterday and then 11 in the night and so I told her it is 12 hours. Then this morning she called me and said she discovered his body by dykes and they also discovered his horse back there as well with him."
The Police investigation so far said he went fishing with a 16 year old friend. This morning, a swarm of Police fanned out across that area of Port Loyola adjacent to Jane Usher Boulevard picking in suspects. They detained male suspects on streets adjacent to the Dyke Sewage ponds where a body had been found
Elijio says her nephew frequented the area often to fish and loved being out in nature. She says he was a calm person which is why they find it hard to believe that anyone would want to harm him.
Theresa Eilijio, Aunt of Deceased
"We are puzzled as well because he had no criminal record never. He loves animals and as you guys can see he has a horse there you know and adventures, we loves fishing, he had no criminal record he is only 19 years old and he is my sisters baby boy. She has 3 kids."
Jo-
"He used to go back there to fishing a lot?"
Theresa Eilijio, Aunt of Deceased
"From he was a child that is why it is so shocking to us because from Jaheel was a baby like from 7 years old he would go back to Dykes, nearly every weekend he would go back there. He fishing that is what he loves, he is adventurous. They really took away everything from us. They don't know the pain my sister is going through and all of us you know because it is not that he is somebody who would hurt anyone out there, so you could say oh he deserves what he got but no there is not. Because I am his aunt and I grew him as well."
The only conclusion they can draw is that he was attacked for his horse, and left there to die.
Theresa Eilijio, Aunt of Deceased
"Well to be honest you got rumors around and we cant pin point nothing they say that it was about the horse yes mam so we feel that they really chanced my nephew out of his life because that is his animal."
"My sister we are trying to cope with her right now it is very very hard for her, that is her baby boy you know innocently, just 19 years old he has not lived his life, he has not even started living his life. He wanted to own a farm because the way how he is, very adventurous you know he always wants to learn new things about adventures and wildlife and animals that is all my nephew is and everyone who knows him knows him as a humble person, nice and mannerly."
According to Facebook posts, the friend who went fishing with Jaheil is still missing, and there are grave concerns for his wellbeing.
