Jamaican Member of Parliament Phillip Paulwell says he is heartbroken by the murder of his 10-month-old Sarayah Paulwell and her mother 27-year-old Toshyna Patterson who went missing in September.
Last week Friday, Deputy Commissioner of Police Fitz Bailey revealed that the mother and daughter were brutally killed and their bodies burned and disposed of.
In a statement released over the weekend, the MP said he wants justice to be brought against all parties involved in the disappearance and subsequent death of the infant and her mother.
“The past few weeks have been extremely difficult for me as I grappled with the abduction of my daughter and her mother. I have prayed unceasingly for the safe return of Toshyna Patterson and my daughter Sarayah and I am heartbroken that the worst has happened. Nothing could have prepared me for the events that unfolded since last week Thursday and the alleged discoveries,” his statement read.
“I am praying for Toshyna’s family who I know are experiencing the unbearable grief and pain of losing their beloved daughter and grandaughter. As a human being, father, lawyer and legislator I am hoping that all who were involved are brought to Justice and punished to the fullest extent of the law,” he continued.
The mother and daughter were abducted from their home on Gilmour Drive in St Andrew on September 9.
Deputy Commissioner Bailey said it was “one of the most painful investigations” that his team has seen in recent times.
A $500,000 hit
At the center of the case is United States Navy petty officer 34-year-old Leoda Bradshaw, the mother of Paulwell’s eight-year-old daughter, who has since been charged with conspiracy to commit murder, kidnapping, and other charges.
Bradshaw appeared in the Home Circuit Court on Friday by way of a voluntary bill of indictment.
According to the prosecution, Bradshaw, a resident of the United States, visited Jamaica on September 6 — a day after learning about the existence of 10-month-old Sarayah — “with the sole purpose of killing Toshyna Patterson and the young child” fathered by the man she considers her ‘spouse.’
The day prior, on September 5, Bradshaw had reached out to Patterson via Facebook and advised Patterson that a DNA [test] should be done to determine the paternity of the child. Bradshaw told Patterson that she was the wife of Phillip Paulwell — the two are, however, not married. Patterson later blocked her from her account.
Bradshaw allegedly hired her cousin and co-accused Roland Balford to contract men to kidnap and murder the two. Balford, along with the contracted men Richard Brown and Rushane Miller, have also been charged with conspiracy to commit murder, kidnapping, and other charges.
Read more on the case:
- Phillip Paulwell’s daughter and her mom ‘brutally murdered,’ police confirm
- Bodies believed to be of Phillip Paulwell’s daughter and her mom found
- Update: Phillip Paulwell’s longtime partner among 4 in custody over MP’s missing daughter
Bradshaw paid the men the equivalent of J$100,000 in United States currency as a down payment for the execution of the crime. The remainder of the funds ($400,000) was to be paid after the completion of the deal.
The burnt bodies of the mother and daughter were allegedly found at a site in Rockfort, East Kingston on October 6.
The case will be taken directly to the Supreme Court, according to the police.
