Dominica police to send remains linked to teen’s death to Jamaica for DNA testing
Key Points(5)
- Dominica police have received approval to send samples of human remains found in the northern community of Capuchin to Jamaica for DNA testing to determine whether they belong to 16-year-old Jerbiah Paul.
- Commissioner of Police Lincoln Corbett said the remains were discovered at the bottom of a precipice north of Roseau on August 12, months after Paul was reported missing.
- Paul was last seen at her home on July 24 and was reported missing the following day.
- Corbett said investigators believe the remains are those of the teenager, but DNA analysis is necessary to establish her identity conclusively for evidentiary purposes.
- “We are waiting to send the officer to Jamaica.
Dominica police have received approval to send samples of human remains found in the northern community of Capuchin to Jamaica for DNA testing to determine whether they belong to 16-year-old Jerbiah Paul.
Commissioner of Police Lincoln Corbett said the remains were discovered at the bottom of a precipice north of Roseau on August 12, months after Paul was reported missing.
Paul was last seen at her home on July 24 and was reported missing the following day.
Corbett said investigators believe the remains are those of the teenager, but DNA analysis is necessary to establish her identity conclusively for evidentiary purposes.
“We are waiting to send the officer to Jamaica. It’s a process, you have to make a request to the lab in Jamaica or Barbados or elsewhere to get a permit,” Corbett said.
“Now that we have received the permit, he can now travel with samples,” he added, explaining that the police had completed the necessary paperwork and were arranging a flight for an officer to deliver the samples personally to the analyst.
The commissioner said investigators had opted against sending the samples by courier, choosing instead to have an officer transport them by hand.
Police conducted an autopsy and collected samples from the remains. Corbett said dental records could also be used to establish identity, but investigators did not have the records needed for that method, leaving DNA analysis as their chosen option.
“Although we suspect and we believe that the remains that were recovered is that of the young lady, Jerbiah Paul, but for evidential purposes we must confirm it and we will do that is by DNA analysis,” he said.
Corbett said confirming the identity of the remains was critical to strengthening the prosecution's case. Four people, including serving police officers, have been charged in connection with Paul's death.
Meanwhile, Corbett reported a decline in homicides in Dominica compared with the previous year. Of the 10 murders recorded so far in 2026, seven have been solved, he said.
