8-y-o St Ann schoolgirl raped and murdered, suspect attempted suicide - police
Published:Saturday | September 23, 2023 | 7:49 PM
A 27-year-old man is in police custody over Saturday's alleged rape and fatal stabbing of 8-year-old Talia Thompson, a grade four student of Discovery Bay Primary and Infant School in St Ann, the police say.
The suspect, believed to be a neighbour and family friend, reportedly attempted suicide.
Parish commander Senior Superintendent Dwight Powell confirmed the incident, which reportedly happened some time after 3 p.m.
The police are still on the scene in Discovery Bay.
Preliminary reports suggest that the man lured the child to his house where he allegedly raped her and then stabbed her several times in her upper body.
After the act, the man reportedly attempted to commit suicide.
Neighbours reported hearing explosions and an alert was made before the macabre scenes were discovered.
Four locally manufactured firearms were seized.
A teacher at the Discovery Bay Primary and Infant School said the school community has been left in shock over the incident.
"I have known Talia from she was in grade two. Very brilliant girl," said the distraught teacher who did not want to be named.
"Very promising little girl. She's an all-rounder. She's reliable. This is so shocking for all of us. Really hard."
Talia, who was in school on Friday, recently entered the 2023 Mini Miss St Ann pageant.
Last year she won the Mini Miss Discovery Bay title.
This is the second case of an eight-year-old child being murdered in three months.
Danielle Rowe was abducted as she left Braeton Primary School in Portmore, St Catherine on June 8. She was found along Roosevelt Avenue in St Andrew, later that day with her throat slashed. She later died.
In February, eight-year-old Nikita Noel was raped and strangled. A man has since been convicted for her murder.
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