‘Not enough focus on Jasmine Deen’
Father says COVID-19, election distracting from search for missing girl
It has been almost six months since Lloyd Deen has seen his daughter, 21-year-old Jasmine Deen. It’s been all of 180 days since he last heard her voice.
“Daddy, me deh pon a taxi,” was the last thing he heard from her, when he called inquiring about her whereabouts some time after 9 p.m. on February 27. While he continues to hunt for his child, he fears that the efforts by the authorities have been hit by two huge distractions – COVID-19 and general election.
“Mi nah hear nothing from police,” Lloyd Deen told THE STAR. “But mi nuh give up yet! Mi cyaa give up. A just bare distractions. From coronavirus come everything kinda slow up and now we have election weh a bring more distraction again. Is like everybody too busy, and dat a mash mi up.
“Mi just want more communication from the police. Mi just wah know wah gwaan. Mi a wonder if dem nuh know wah dem a look fah.”
Jasmine, a visually impaired student of The University of the West Indies, Mona, has been missing since Thursday, February 27. On March 18, the police announced that a person of interest had been identified in the case.
PLANNING SEARCH TEAMS
Deen remains steadfast in pursuit of his daughter, and plans to organise search teams with community members, friends and family.
“Mi want a search team wid mi fi help mi guh round and search some place,” he said. “Mi have certain place weh mi wah check but mi cyaa go alone. Mi just want a portion of people to come wid mi, because mi nuh know wah mi will buck up pon.”
He says he is also grateful for the support from the general public.
“People feel it and a support,” he said. “Mi see and know that. And mi glad fi the support from the people dem. That’s why mi know seh everything a go alright. Nobody inna the family nah try stop mi or lose the faith. Everybody a push wid mi fi find her back. Mi affi find her. If a even fi just get something fi satisfy miself. If a even fi get a body.”
Assistant Commissioner of Police Fitz Bailey told THE STAR that there have been no updates in the case.
“I don’t have any updates right now. There is no new information,” he said.
Deen says he has been financially unstable since his daughter’s disappearance.
“Mi cyaa get fi jump round and do nuh work because nothing nuh important to mi,” he said. “Mi just need fi find my daughter. It hard.”