By DENISE MAYCOCK

Tribune Freeport Reporter

dmaycock@tribunemedia.net

NEARLY five months after 31-year-old Althia Lashanda Mitchell was killed in a collision involving a police vehicle, her family says they are still waiting for closure — even as the case has now been sent to the Coroner’s Court for review.

Chief Superintendent Christopher Farquharson, officer-in-charge of the Traffic Division, confirmed yesterday that police have completed their investigation and submitted the file to the Coroner’s Court, which will decide whether a hearing is necessary.

“It doesn’t necessarily have to be a hearing,” he said. “The Coroner may review the file and determine that there is no need for one.”

Ms Mitchell, of Hanna Hill, Eight Mile Rock, died on May 10 when the vehicle she was driving collided with a marked police car sometime around 3pm. At the time, police and first responders were heading to a reported drowning in the area. She was taken to the Rand Memorial Hospital, where she later died of her injuries.

Police said the crash occurred along Queen’s Highway and resulted in severe damage to both vehicles.

Her sister, Michelle Mitchell, said the family has been left in limbo for months with no official update until now.

“He said that it’s still an ongoing investigation. There is nothing as yet,” she said, referring to earlier conversations with Chief Supt Farquharson. “They were collecting paperwork from numerous other people, and we haven’t gotten any updates since. Everything seems to be at a standstill. We’re still waiting, and time is just climbing. We are just sitting here at a loss, like what’s the next move?

“We are still waiting for someone to reach out to us to say what the deal is,” she said.

Ms Mitchell said the family continues to make calls to police for updates but gets little information in return.

“Every now and again, we go and probably query or ask questions, but at this point, we are just waiting for them to finish up whatever they say that they were waiting on so we could have some answers to satisfy our need,” she said. “For every question we ask, it’s a question for a question—no answer.”

Describing Althia as an ambitious young entrepreneur who ran her own spa business in Eight Mile Rock, Ms Mitchell said the family is heartbroken that months later, they still do not know who was at fault or what happens next.

“We just want closure,” she said.

Althia was laid to rest on June 7 at Mt Zion Baptist Church in Jones Town, Eight Mile Rock.