Hanover law enforcement department has taken a man in custody they suspected of allegedly raping and murdering nine-year-old Nikita Noel in Hanover on Wednesday, February 1, 2023. The police confirmed the man was in a relationship with the child’s mother. It appears Nikita, Affectionately called ‘Jojo,’ was strangled.
According to Nation Wide, the child’s lifeless body was recovered in the community of Kew on Wednesday night.
The gruesome incident has jolted the nation.
Superintendent Sharon Beeput and head of the Hanover Law Enforcement said little Nikita was attacked sometime after she parted ways with her schoolmates on their way home from school Wednesday afternoon, February 1, 2023.
The police said the child’s mother reported her missing after she failed to return home within the expected time.
And a search party led by Police personnel was quickly put together.
The Commanding Officer said the young boy who was with Nikita before they part ways was instrumental in finding the child’s body.
Speaking on Cliff Hughes Online Superintendent Beeput revealed that the 42-year-old suspect is intimate with Nikita’s mother.
The Superintendent Beeput said the man had to be placed in protective custody to shield him from residents of the community
He’s is being questioned by the police. And the family is distraught at the killing of the nine-year-old.
The Councillor for the Lucea division, Easton Edwards, visited the family on Thursday morning, February 2, 2023. And he planned to visit Ester Primary to see how students are coping.
In the mean time, Minister of Education and Youth Fayval Williams has expressed deep sadness at the untimely and gruesome death of young Nikita Noel.
The Minister said the brutal assault and murder of little Nikita reflects the callous barbarity that characterizes elements in Jamaican society.
Further, reiterated that every child must be protected by society as a whole.
Minister Williams says Jamaicans must be on guard to protect the nation’s children while traveling on the island’s roads.
The Minister urges anyone who has seen or heard anything on the incident to contact the police immediately.
In addition, the Ministry said it has reached out through its Regional office to offer counseling services to Nikita’s immediate family and school community.