Days after announcing that they had discovered skeletal remains of four of the five missing boys, police remained tight-lipped regarding whether they discovered the remains of Jake Grant, who was the first boy to disappear on the island.
Jake, 12, worked as a packing boy at the local Winn Dixie Supermarket and frequented a downtown game room as did Mackinson Colas, DeAngelo Mackenzie, Junior Reme and Desmond Rolle, the other missing boys.
On October 10, four juveniles were charged with manslaughter in connection with Jake’s disappearance.
The arrest and arraignment of the juveniles came several days after police conducted a search in an area off Frobisher Drive behind the Tivoli Gardens apartment complex.
Rumors began to circulate throughout the island that Jake’s remains had been found in that location, but police officials refused to comment on whether his remains were discovered.
Last week Thursday, Bridgette Grant, Jake’s mother, was quoted in a local daily as saying that police had not recovered her son’s remains and that no remains had been turned over to the family for burial.
That same day, Commissioner of Police Paul Farquharson confirmed Ms. Grant’s statements, telling members of the press in Freeport that police had not uncovered Jake’s remains and had not received any information regarding the whereabouts of those remains.
This comment came as reports circulated regarding alleged confessions by the boys charged with manslaughter.
Several days before the juveniles were charged, Brenda Roberts, the mother of 12-year-old DeAngelo Dorval, made allegations that investigators were attempting to coerce her son into confessing that he was involved in Jake’s disappearance.
Although police confirmed that DeAngelo was in custody, they strenuously refuted Ms. Robert’s allegations.
Questions once again emerged following the arraignment of Cordell Farrington earlier this week for the alleged killing of four of the island’s five missing boys.
Before the arraignment, police said that they were certain that the accused was connected to all five of the disappearances, and that the accused was not linked or connected to the four boys charged with manslaughter.
In an unexpected turn of events, members of the press were shut out of courts during Farrington’s arraignment on Wednesday.
Reporters repeatedly questioned police on why they would not be permitted inside the courts, but were told that the decision was made at the Magistrate’s discretion.
A former Magistrate, who spoke to the Bahama Journal on the condition of anonymity, said that under Bahamian law, every criminal matter heard in the Magistrate’s Court must be heard before an open court unless the person charged is a juvenile.
He said that in an open court, the Magistrate can decide to expel certain persons for any number of reasons, but the court itself should be open to the public.
“Now a Magistrate could rationalize that he or she would close the court in [Farrington’s] case so as to protect any juveniles that may be involved, but in this case all of the juveniles involved are dead,” he noted.
“It should be understood that a Magistrate has a very wide span of discretion and if he or she makes a decision to close the courts it cannot be challenged, but though Magistrates have a wide span of discretion, it is understood that that discretion must be carried out judiciously.
“If the Magistrate is questioned, he should be able to say why he chose not to allow the press to enter the courts,” he added.
The former Magistrate further noted that if police officials make a request of a Magistrate to have the courts closed in a criminal matter, it could be that information may appear on a court docket or things might be said by the accused during the proceedings that police may not want the public to be aware of.
When questioned by the Bahama Journal Wednesday, police officials would not comment on whether Jake’s remains have been located.
Police also would not comment on whether additional arrests are expected in the Jake Grant case.
“The police would not prejudice their case against the juveniles by saying one way or another whether or not Jake’s body has been found,” the former Magistrate said.
“Ideally, it would be difficult to convict the juveniles without a body, because without a body it will be very difficult to convince a Magistrate or a juvenile panel that someone has died.”
Sharon Williams, The Bahama Journal
