Drowning near Iguana Creek

On Sunday at around two-thirty, twenty-eight year old Jamie Lizama of Lower Barton Creek went swimming in Unitedville along with six others, mostly minors, but Lizama never returned from that outing. According to his sister-in-law, Ingrid Leslie, the current in the river was strong but after struggling, Leslie said she was able to make it to the banks. But Lizama never surfaced after he went underwater. Since that day, a search team was combing the area and it was sometime around mid-day when the badly decomposed body was discovered around the Iguana Creek Bridge in Spanish Look-out. While Leslie says it was a case of drowning, other family members are speculating about the circumstances surrounding Lizama’s death.

Ingrid Leslie, Sister-in-law of Deceased

“When we reach dah riva, I mi di go fi tek off my black blouse fah underneath fi bathe and put on my bath suit fi swim and we end up dah middle ah di riva because the current mi too strong. We mi di try fi come back in but we mi can’t because the current mi just too strong, suh, when I hold on pahn he dah like ih just let go and I say yuh know what, ‘dah only God could help me from ya,’ and I gone down couple times and come back up and that dah the last time weh I tell the police I si ah and from deh I just float till I by some stones and my lee bredda di halla, ‘Ingrid, yuh could stand up fah deh and I tell ah no I can’t cause the current still strong’  and I run in afta that deh and get my phone and call my ma and call the police.”

Andrea Polanco

Ingrid Leslie

“So is this an area that you guys would usually go swimming?”

Ingrid Leslie

“Yeah we always swim deh. Dah nuh like the first time we swim deh. Fah we live up deh seven years dah only deh suh we guh go swim.”

Andrea Polanco

“So this happened; Jamie went underwater shortly after you guys got to the river? Did you get to swim a bit or anything?”

Ingrid Leslie

“Well yeah kinda, just like try fi come back in but when he mi di try fi swim fi come back in he mi can’t because the current just pull we down, so that dah mi di last fah weh I si.”

Andrea Polanco

“Before that did Jamie complain of any stomach ache, any feeling, anything?”

Ingrid Leslie

“Nothing, all I tell he, I wah dead, I wah dead cause I cyaa swim and he say like, ‘no, yuh nuh wah dead, yuh nuh wah dead’ dat dah mi di last word ih say.”

Andrea Polanco

“So he’s your brother-in-law, so basically, you are saying there is no motive for foul-play?”

Ingrid Leslie

“Yeah, dah my sista bwai dah.”

Andrea Polanco

“And he was getting along with everybody, fine?”

Ingrid Leslie

“Yes, everybody cool and straight.”