COUPLE ARE MURDERED AS SUN ISLE RETIREMENT ENDS IN HORROR
VICTIMS - MARRIED 55 YEARS - HAD JUST LEFT MANCHESTER FOR JAMAICA
AN elderly couple from Manchester who recently retired to live in Jamaica have been found dead.
Great-grandparents Charlie and Gayle Anderson, aged 74 and 71, were ‘pillars of the community’ and ‘hugely popular and loved by many,’ their devastated sons said in a statement.
Local reports in Jamaica said both their bodies had neck and facial wounds, as well as burns.
The couple had been married for 55 years and recently retired to Mount Pleasant, near West Portland in Jamaica, after living in the Gorton area of Manchester.
The statement, released from their sons through the Foreign Office, read: “Our parents Charlie and Gayle enjoyed a long and happy marriage of 55 years and leave behind their four grandchildren and one great-grandchild.
“They were hardworking people, building a business with integrity and making sure we were always provided for.
“Charlie and Gayle were pillars of the community in Manchester and Jamaica, and were hugely popular and loved by many.”
Mr and Mrs Anderson were found dead on Friday, according to reports in the local media.
Mr Anderson’s body was found first near to a primary school before his wife’s body was discovered at a separate location nearby, according to The Sunday Gleaner newspaper in Jamaica. The family statement added: “They were just beginning the next chapter of their lives, retiring to Jamaica before this terrible tragedy. We are completely devastated and ask for privacy at this extremely difficult time.” Police are appealing for witnesses and anyone with information to come forward and described a ‘heinous crime.’ Deputy Superintendent of Police, Throyville Haughton, told The Sunday Gleaner: “We are making every effort to bring closure to this heinous crime, and as such, we are getting assistance from our area headquarters and also from technical services from Kingston. Our detectives are still in the area carrying out investigations.”