British woman killed in Jamaica

Picture of Barbara Scott-Jones courtesy of Jamaica Observer

A British woman on an extended holiday in Jamaica has been found murdered.

Police on the Caribbean island said the body of Barbara Scott-Jones, 61, was found in a pit near the house she was staying at in the island's northwest.

Ms Scott-Jones, from Leeds, had been in Jamaica since January and was due to return home next month. She was reported missing on 14 March.

Police said they were looking for Omar Reid, 30, who worked as her caretaker, in connection with the death.

Ms Scott-Jones, a retired nurse, was staying at a house in Somerton and was last seen when she left to visit a friend in Montego Bay.

The local police, who had set up a task force to oversee the search, found her body clad in her underwear in a cess pit.

Caretaker sought

She had several wounds to her head, broken teeth and nose, and a fractured skull.

The skull injury was probably the cause of death, police said.

Constable Craig Sterling of St James police in Jamaica said they could not confirm reports that Mr Reid and Ms Scott-Jones were in a relationship.

He said: "He is actually her caretaker. We're not sure how close a relationship they had. But he is being sought at the moment."

A Foreign Office spokesman said officials from the High Commission in Jamaica have been in touch with close relatives who are also in the country to offer assistance.

Ms Scott-Jones is reported to be the first tourist killed in Jamaica this year.

There were more than 1,400 murders in Jamaica in 2007, including 19 police officers.