Suspected hit-and-run fatality at Moblissa

The body of a 26-year-old man was discovered early yesterday morning on the roadway at Moblissa, Linden Highway, a short distance from his home and a man has since been detained for questioning.

Dead is Milton Xavier of Bamia and according to reports his death is being treated as a hit-and-run case.

In a press release, police said that they are investigating the circumstances surrounding the death of Xavier which occurred at around 5:15 am at Moblissa.

“Acting on information received the police found the body of Milton Xavier on the Highway. He is suspected to have been the victim of a hit-and-run fatal accident”, the release said adding that investigations have led to the arrest of a man and the detention of his motor vehicle. The man is in custody assisting with the investigations.

A woman living in Moblissa and who knows the Xavier family said that the dead man is the son of the pastor of the AME Zion Church at Bamia.

She said that according to the information she received, he did not come home on Thursday night and early yesterday morning his father went out and saw what looked like a heap on the road.

According to the woman, as the man went closer, he realized that it was Xavier and noticed a wound to the chin.

The discovery of the body has sent shockwaves throughout the communities of Bamia and Moblissa but the woman said that this is not the first time that a `youth’ has been discovered on the highway.

She recalled that sometime last year, a body was discovered at Adventure, some seven miles from Bamia. The woman, who is an elder in her community, yesterday stressed the need for electricity along the highway and for a police station within reasonable proximity.

She said the man’s father had to travel all the way to Linden, to report the discovery of the body which is miles away. She added that since 1975 the highway has been without electricity resulting in uncomfortable circumstances for residents.

She said that the absence of electricity is a major problem because it is unsafe to be outside the home after dark.