Police have confirmed the capture of Lawrence Sergeant, the father of 13-year-old murder victim Shantina Sergeant. He was apprehended in Old Harbour, St. Catherine, on Friday afternoon, sometime between 3:30 p.m. and 4:00 p.m., after officers reportedly tracked him to the area.
Sergeant’s arrest comes just days after police named him a person of interest in connection with his daughter’s death. Shantina’s charred remains were discovered on Monday beneath a sheet of zinc and next to a burnt-out refrigerator behind her family home.
The young teen, a student who previously attended Excelsior High School before transferring to Christiana High School in Manchester, was reported missing by her father on October 3. Three days later, her remains were found among burnt debris at the rear of the house they both occupied.
According to reports, residents alerted authorities after detecting a strong odor and seeing flies around the premises. When police arrived, they found the body in an advanced state of decomposition with severe burn injuries.