Another school girl murdered

It’s happened again, another schoolgirl has been found murdered. The news that the body of St. Ignatius student, missing since Monday, had been found this morning on the Western Highway shocked and outraged the nation. It is the fourth death of a young girl in a few months. A terrible pattern seems to be emerging of children lured to their deaths by people they know and trust. As police investigate this latest incident they are stressing that parents must monitor their children’s behavior and that there are specific danger signs to look for, signs that if ignored can have fatal consequences. Hyacinth Latchman has the story.

The reaction today at St. Ignatius School was obvious from the number of parents who had come in person to pick up their children. Students we spoke to say that they will miss Jackie because she was not only a friend to them but also a confidant. But this twelve year old girl, that so many confided in seems to have had some secrets of her own. And one secret may very well have led to her death.

A.I.P. Simeon Alvarez, Head of C.I.B.

“At about 8:15 this morning we received a phone call about a dead body found off a feeder road at mile eight on the Western Highway. As a result of that the C.I.B. personnel visited the scene where they saw the dead body of a female child. She was wearing a school uniform and that uniform was later identified to be a St. Ignatius uniform. The little girl, who was reported missing on Monday night, she was positively identified by the police and the family on the spot and she was found with her face. She was found lying on her chest and one of her hand, her left hand, was amputated.

She was already in a partially decomposition state. Her schoolbag was not found far away from the scene either.”

Alvarez says the child was not wearing any underwear when her body was found and they suspect Malic was sexually abused before she was murdered.

Shortly after the body of her missing granddaughter was found Deonicia Cadle told News Five she had sent Jackie and her little sister Adelma to school on Monday but at lunchtime only Adelma returned home.

Deonicia Cadle, Grandmother of Deceased

“All I know I send them to school and the next little one said that they got into the school yard and from that they went into their class and she did not worry again because twelve o’clock time they usually come home for dinner. And when she went to her class, the teacher replied and said that she didn’t go to class. And then the teacher told her that she wanted to see her grandmother. So well I decide well, I sent Jennifer to go and find out what happened. I said what is wrong with Jackie? Well the evening I say that she would come in and she never did come. And it was then that we went to report it.

She no give me no trouble. That’s why, why somebody do a thing like that? Like that get to me.”

But while her grandmother swears she never gave any trouble, police say friends at school tell a different story.

A.I.P. Simeon Alvarez

“Information has come to us that sometimes she was absent from school. It came to light that this little child was always in possession of cash. If whosoever is the immediate family or teacher and had knowledge that this child was always in possession of big cash the family should have been informed. But apparently nothing was done.

Because now if that was cleared up the teacher or the parent could have reliable information to us of who the person is that give this child a lot of cash on a daily basis or weekly. We could have that person under interrogation to find out his close affiliation with that child. But now all we can rely on are her friend and sister to tell us where these monies actually came from when this child was alive.”

Just where Jackie would disappear to or who was giving her money is not yet clear, but on the Monday morning she went missing Jackie was apparently approached by a family friend who offered the two sisters a ride. Adelma Malic, who is only a few months younger than her sister Jackie, claims they refused to go and they both headed for school. Adelma claims she was unaware her sister had left the school compound until it was time to go home at noon.

Adelma Malic, Sister of Deceased

“When we were walking to school we see this man that was talking to this man when we went by Textile lane. We reached by Textile lane and when we looked I see he brakes beside us and I asked him what he wanted. And he said lets go, let me drop you to school. I did not go and I told my sister to lets go. And then we gone. I went into the schoolyard and I left her by the basketball court and we were talking by the basketball court. We were talking by the basketball court. I told her to go to your class Jackie and I told her I would go to my class. So I went to my class and the bell rang to go home to eat. I went to her class and the teacher said that she did not enter the classroom. And I asked her teacher where is Jackie and she said that she did not enter in the class.”

Since Jackie Malic disappeared near St. Ignatius School and her body was found in the same vicinity of Sherilee Nicholas, also aged 12 who was found murdered in October, the two cases seem similar. News Five asked Alvarez if police believe the two deaths may have been caused by the same man. He says police will be looking at that angle, but it may also be a copycat killing.

A.I.P. Simeon Alvarez

“At this time we have not made an arrest for Sherilee. The person who may have committed this crime thought that if they operated in that particular fashion the police would not be able to solve this particular crime. But with the assistance of the general public I believe that by the end of this month we will make an arrest.”

Hyacinth Latchman

“The only thing we are left to wonder is which sick minded person is out there killing our little girls. Hyacinth Latchman for News Five.”

A suspect has been detained in connection with Jackie Malic’s death, but police say they cannot comment on his identity at this time. Police are asking anyone who may have seen Malic getting into a vehicle that morning to give them a call. Alvarez says it is not necessary that you identify yourself, just leave the information. Alvarez says cases like these underscore the need for parents and teachers to communicate with each other. He says parents must make periodic checks with their child’s school to ensure that they are attending class and that schools have to do their part to inform parents of any suspicious behavior. Besides the Sherilee Nicholas case, the two other girls murdered in recent months are Rebecca Gilharry in Corozal and Samantha Gordon in Ladyville. No arrests have been made in the Nicholas or Gordon cases. A family friend was charged with the death of Gilharry. Malic’s body has been taken to Belmopan for a postmortem, the results of which should be available tomorrow.