SPRINGVALE, St Elizabeth - Police have identified the male and female whose bullet-riddled bodies were found on Thursday in a 30-foot-deep pit in a heavily forested section of this usually quiet farming community.

The man, said to be about 168 centimetres long, of dark complexion and slim built, has been identified as 27-yearold Jerome 'Amoy' Miller of a Granville address in St James.

The police, however, have not yet released the name of the woman, who is believed to be about 26 years old, of fair complexion, slim built and about 173 centimetres long.

At the same time, investigators probing the double murder say that two cellular phone microchips allegedly recovered at the murder scene, are providing them with useful information.

"We have been getting some good information from the 'phone chips' and we remain optimistic that we will make a breakthrough soon," acting crime chief for St Elizabeth, detective inspector Lois Brown, told the Observer yesterday.

Investigators are also hoping that forensic tests being carried out on strands of hair and fingernails found at the scene will help them to solve the murders.

At about 12:15 pm on Thursday residents, following a trail of blood, found the two bodies in the pit and alerted the police.

"The next morning after the shooting mi see a trail of blood and mi follow it until it lead mi to the pit. Mi then suspect that somebody was in there, and so mi make an alarm and call the police," a farmer told the Observer.

The police, with the assistance of the Black River Fire Department, later removed the bodies and transported them to the morgue.

Yesterday, residents from the area told the Observer that they saw a heavily-tinted white Toyota Camry motor car in the area at about 7:00 pm on Wednesday. They said they heard gunshots shortly after.

The residents theorised that the two were shot and then their bodies dumped into the hole.

The fear factor

Feeding the multitude

DANGEROUS PETS