Janet Silvera, Gleaner Writer
WESTERN BUREAU:
THE POLICE in Westmoreland have still not charged the suspects who are being questioned in connection with the murder of former hotelier, 52-year-old Sandra McLeod.
The persons being questioned are reportedly a prominent Negril hotelier and his security chief. Sources say that there were no witnesses to the murder.
"We have been conducting some minute bits of investigation," Superintendent John Morris, crime chief for the Area One Police Division told The Gleaner. "It's a difficult case, we are following various leads but, from a security standpoint, we cannot disclose much."
POST-MORTEM RESULT
McLeod was found dead in a computer room at the Merrill's III Beach Resort in Negril, Westmoreland, where she had gone for a business meeting on Sunday evening with the operator of the resort. A post-mortem performed on Wednesday confirmed that she died of strangulation.
The dead woman was the owner of the property, which was leased to a private entity. For several years, she ran the popular small property, Sandy Sand Hotel, located on the seven-mile Negril beach and owned the land adjacent to the resort.
The Gleaner understands that McLeod had had an ongoing dispute concerning properties she owned in Negril and had a case in court in relation to the matter.
There was a sombre mood at McLeod's Montego Bay home yesterday, as friends and relatives came by to commiserate with each other. Some appeared to be in shock and could only offer garbled responses as they spoke with The Gleaner on Monday. Her 16-year-old son, with whom she lived, had to seek medical help.
GROWING FEAR
Mrs. Lucille Rodney, who has known Miss McLeod for 31 years, described the former hotelier as a "daughter".
"We lived like one, but she became so afraid these past months, hardly wanting to leave my house to return home when she visited," Mrs. Rodney said.
