UPDATE |‘Coolie Man’ named person of interest in brutal murder of 9-year-old girl in Spanish Town
Published:Saturday | May 10, 2025 | 12:13 PM
The police have named Giovanni Ellis, otherwise called ‘Coolie Man’, as a person of interest in the gruesome murder of nine-year-old Kelsey Ferrigon, whose partially nude body was found inside a barrel at her Job Lane home in Spanish Town, St Catherine, on Friday night.
Investigators believe Ferrigon was beaten and sexually assaulted before her body was discovered around 8:00 p.m.
The child’s death has triggered outrage and a major police investigation.
Head of the Criminal Investigations Branch (CIB), Assistant Commissioner of Police Wayne Josephs, said law enforcement is leaving no stone unturned in its efforts to capture Ellis, who is being urged to report to the Spanish Town Police immediately.
“The brutal assault and murder of Kelsey Ferrigon has sent shockwaves through our entire force and I’m sure throughout Jamaica,” ACP Josephs said in a statement issued on Saturday.
“We are utilizing every single resource at our disposal – our investigators, our forensic teams, our intelligence networks – to relentlessly pursue and apprehend the monster responsible for this act. We owe it to Kelsey, her family, and every child in Jamaica to bring this individual to justice swiftly.”
Anyone with information on the whereabouts of Giovanni Ellis is urged to contact the Spanish Town CIB at 876-984-2305, the National Intelligence Bureau (NIB) at 811, Crime Stop at 311 or police 119 emergency numbers.
Follow The Gleaner on X, formerly Twitter, and Instagram @JamaicaGleaner and on Facebook @GleanerJamaica. Send us a message on WhatsApp at 1-876-499-0169 or email us at onlinefeedback@gleanerjm.com or editors@gleanerjm.com.