The Tribune

By KHRISNA VIRGIL

Tribune Staff Reporter

kvirgil@tribunemedia.net

POLICE Commissioner Ellison Greenslade has ordered that a case in which six relatives burned to death in a small four-room structure last year remains open as it becomes a priority for investigators.

Since the family, including a toddler died on September 23, 2013 inside their home at Homestead Avenue, authorities have said very little as to what could have caused the blaze.  

And while police have remained tight-lipped, there has been speculation that arson was to blame for the deaths of 52-year-old Marilyn Barrett, Unissa Pratt, 23, Jennifer Bisphaint, 22, and her daughter Joashinique King, 2, along with teenagers Trayvon Grant and Melchizedek Bain.

To answer those allegations, Assistant Commissioner Anthony Ferguson told The Tribune last month that the incident remained classified as a house fire, with the case files of each of the victims expected to be sent to the Coroner.

But on Wednesday, Mr Greenslade admitted that given the elapsed time since this tragedy struck that inner city community, he was committing himself to revisiting the matter.

When asked why police had not been forthcoming with investigation details, Mr Greenslade declined comment only saying that officers would continue working on the incident.

“(This will be) placed as a matter of urgency,” he said.

“Obviously those family members are hurting. I would be interested in meeting with them as soon as possible. So I am going to ask officers to get in touch with them to come and see me. We believe we owe it to them to have a further discussion.

“I don’t want to say anything in isolation because I am not sure what is the case, except to say that cases like these remain open because we have a significant loss of life. Those files remain open, I can safely tell you that.”

In the early hours on that fateful Monday morning, neighbours awoke to not only smoke and flames, but screams and cries for help coming from the home.

At one point before fire trucks arrived, an onlooker said he tried to save the family, but was unable to get through the burglar bars. When officials were able to get the fire under control and get into the home, the bodies of all of the relatives were found huddled inside the bathroom. Authorities said at the time that it appeared as if they were attempting to escape through the window.

Mr Greenslade has assured The Tribune that the Police Force has not lost interest in the matter.