Anxiety is growing for members of the Bobo Ashanti Rastafari community of Bobo Camp Ground in Ten Miles, Bull Bay, St Thomas, as they await the results of an autopsy that should confirm if one of their own, elder Sharon Kelly-Stair, was killed or died of natural causes.

Friday made it two weeks since the former educator was found dead at her home at Bobo Camp Ground in a nude state.

While some people close to her believe that it wasn’t strange that Kelly-Stair, who was 71, was found nude, having seen her multiple times in that state in the past after she suffered strokes, others are not ruling out foul play.

Some members of the community, who declined to be identified, explained that it wasn’t unusual for her as an elderly person to move about her home naked especially with her suffering couple strokes some months ago. They shared that she was definitely not her usual self in many ways.

One individual claimed that she was seen naked in her apartment more than once.

“As an elder, there were other empresses who would assist her sometimes with like washing her clothes. She could move around to make a cup of tea but being that she suffered strokes and was over 70, there are younger empresses who recall that they have gone there and seen her in that state before. They have been encouraging us not to take it too hard.”

But Norman Lamont, the selected chairman of the Royal Committee of the Ethiopia Africa Black International Congress of Salvation (EABIC), and others are taking nothing for granted and won’t be at ease until the autopsy is completed.

“We are not sure what caused her demise. We thought we would have something from the police already but we haven’t heard anything. We are still in limbo. Her place is there untouched because the police said the place is to remain until they know what is happening so they can come back and do further investigations. We are anxiously waiting.

“It is a sad situation. She is so well missed. People are crying up to now. There are empresses who cry when you speak to them up to now. What is hurting most is thinking that she may have been harmed and robbed,” he said.

According to head of the Kingston East Police, Superintendent Tommilee Chambers, information from her investigators has led her to believe that nothing was taken from her house. Chambers said she visited the community recently to get a feel of the environment and she said, “One gentleman told me that they were just hoping and praying that she died of natural causes and that nobody did her anything. Based on what they know, she was not in any conflict or anything with anybody for them to come and harm her. My crime officer collected statements from relatives as well.”

As they await the autopsy results, Bobo Ashanti Rastafarians who have known her for over two decades gave pensive reflection on the life of Kelly-Stair, who served for some time as principal of the Ferncourt High School in St Ann and director of the National Council on Education.

Priest Lamont shared that up to the time of her death, Kelly-Stair who gave invaluable service to Rastafari, was the secretary of the EABIC and possessed a lot of important documents pertaining to Rastafari and indigenous people.

“Even as a retired educator she was very helpful. She assisted in every way she could. She was very active amongst elders. The Women’s Freedom Liberation League, she was one of the upfront people. There are some very important United Nations documents that they worked on. These documents pertain to Rastafari and King Emanuel’s work. I know people who she taught in her time as a teacher and principal.”

Honourable Priest Morant, a representative of EABIC, shared that Kelly-Stair assisted greatly in teaching the young people and elders of the Bobo Camp to read. She also played a major role in imparting traditional principles of Bobo Ashanti to other women.

“She cultured and taught young empresses, princesses and elders who come to the congress. She would teach them the principles like the 21-day purification principle for the empresses and also the baby mother principle. When the empresses are on their menstrual cycle they stay in their own quarters and I and I, the brethren and also the ministering angels, minister to them. From the first day of issue to 21 days they will be on their own. When they reach 21 days they are free to come out amongst the population, to go to service, to the food house and to the kitchen,” Priest Morant stated.