By KHRISNA RUSSELL

Deputy Chief Reporter

krussell@tribunemedia.net

AN ELDERLY American woman was found dead in bushes in north Cat Island Sunday, leading police to launch a homicide investigation into this death, Senior Assistant Commissioner of Police Stephen Dean said.

She was one of two people killed this weekend, after a man who was shot outside his home at Marshall Road early Sunday morning died in hospital.

Janice Mildred Kessinger’s lifeless body was discovered after police activated a missing person’s alert on Sunday morning for the 74-year-old US citizen who resided on the island, but was temporarily staying at Shanna’s Cove Resort in north Cat Island. Police said she was last seen on Friday at 3.30pm at the resort.

She had been asked to look after Shanna’s Cove, while friends - the resort’s owners - vacationed outside of the country, sources told The Tribune.

The gruesome discovery, police sources said, also came after an SUV owned by the victim was found burned. Kessinger was found with cuts about the body, sources also said.

Three suspects are in custody assisting police with this investigation, according to Senior Assistant Commissioner Stephen Dean said.

Meanwhile, police said they have no motive for the shooting death of the man who died in hospital.

These incidents mark the 106th and 107th homicides for the year.

Police have not released the male victim’s identity, but this newspaper understands he is Paul McPhee, a father of one.

According to police, shortly before 3am the victim had arrived at his residence when a man armed with a handgun approached and shot him before fleeing on foot.

He was rushed to the hospital and was listed as stable, but later died.

Assistant Commissioner of Police Clayton Fernander said investigators had not established a motive for any of these recent killings.

“Officers are on the ground with the incident that occurred on Marshall Road,” ACP Fernander said Sunday. “With that, we don’t know the motive. With that one, all we know is that shots were fired and neighbours came out and saw the individual lying there. It is still early in the game, so we can’t say anything further at this time.”

Regarding the Cat Island incident, ACP Fernander said: “We can’t determine exactly what the motive was at this time.

“That is something that we are working on and hopefully the suspects that we have in custody will be able to clarify some things to us. At this time, I can’t say either if there were noticeable injuries on the victim’s body.”

The two recent murders come after an eight-year-old boy, Eugene Antonio Woodside died in hospital after a stray bullet ripped through his wooden home in Chippingham last Monday.

A man, Dennis Moss, who was thought to be the intended victim and believed to be in his twenties, also died in hospital after the double shooting.

Police are appealing to the public to share information on any illegal/suspicious activities in their communities, no matter how small or insignificant the tip may seem.

The public is urged to anonymously contact the police at 919 or Crime Stoppers at 328-8477 in New Providence or at 1-242-300-8477 in the Family Islands.