ST MARY, Jamaica — The St Mary police are seeking the public’s help in locating the relatives of O’Neil Collins who was found dead on the steps of the Lyric Theater in Port Maria about 9:00 Monday morning.

A passerby saw Collins and noticed that he had a wound to his forehead and a swollen jaw. Further checks revealed that Collins was motionless and the passerby notified the Port Maria police. Collins was taken to the Port Maria hospital where he was pronounced dead.

He is known to have frequented drop-in centres in Kingston and Port Maria. However, according to police investigations, he was not a regular visitor to the St Mary homeless shelter and there are not a lot of details about him. There are unconfirmed reports that Collins used to live overseas and it is believed that most of his relatives do not live in Jamaica.

“The cause of death remains uncertain until a post mortem is done. He could have been hit in the face or he could have fallen. Until then we will not say if it was foul play,” Superintendent Bobette Morgan-Simpson, head of the St Mary Police Division told OBSERVER ONLINE.

According to Morgan, last year there were several cases in the parish where homeless people were targeted and harmed. There is a theory that the perpetrator is also homeless, however the senior officer said investigations are ongoing.

—Ingrid Henry