Noel Thompson, Freelance Writer

Mario Henry, 28, undertaker employed to Madden's Funeral Home in Montego Bay, St James, is lowered into a 1,100-foot-deep well in Greenwood, at the border of St James and Trelawny, on Wednesday to recover the bodies of Tafari McIntosh, 24, and Rohan Kelly, 37, both of Copse, Hanover. - Photo by Noel Thompson

WESTERN BUREAU:

At 9:45 a.m. Wednesday, firefighters from the Montego Bay Fire Department revved up their engines to lower an undertaker on their harness into a well to recover the bodies of two murdered men.

It was day two of what was a joint massive, but delicate operation between the firemen and crime sleuths attached to the Montego Bay Criminal Investigations Branch (CIB), as saddened relatives and friends of the murdered men waited anxiously behind the police lines to see the remains of their loved ones being fished from the 1,100-foot-deep well. The well is located in thick wooded lands in Greenwood, at the border of St James and Trelawny.

After six attempts, Mario Henry, 28-year-old undertaker employed to Madden's funeral home in Montego Bay, emerged from the well with the bodies between 1 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. The deceased men's relatives, police and fire personnel hailed Henry as a true hero, having risked his life and health to recover the men.

The deceased men have been identified as Tafari McIntosh, 24, mechanic, and Rohan Kelly, 37, chauffeur, both of Copse in Hanover.

On-the-spot post-mortem

Detective Inspector Michael Garrick, the acting crime officer for St James, said an on-the-spot post-mortem revealed the men had severe wounds to the necks, almost severing their heads, which are consistent with machete injuries.

"Two other superficial wounds were seen on one of the bodies. We have no clue surrounding the killings. This is something, which we will have to spend some time investigating before we can unearth anything," said Garrick.

McIntosh's father - William, cried bitterly as his son's body was pulled from the well.

"This can't be easy. Dem kill mi son. How mi deggo cope," he sobbed.

Late Tuesday night, the team worked feverishly to remove the men's remains from the well, but their operation was railroaded due to temperature change and poor visibility inside. The crew returned to the scene as early as 6 a.m. Wednesday, but again their operation was stalled for at least five hours due to intricate difficulties.

McIntosh and Kelly left home about 5:00 p.m. last Saturday in McIntosh's Nissan Bluebird and went to Montego Bay. When they did not return home Sunday, relatives and friends became suspicious and alerted the police. The car was recovered in Lilliput, with bloodstains and hair fragments, which led the search party to the well.

Reneika Hayes, 18, the mother of McIntosh's two-month-old daughter, muttered to The Gleaner yesterday: "I don't know how to cope." She cried uncontrollably at the scene, while a relative held her two-month-old baby. Investigations are continuing.