By: Drizel Hanley
BASSETERRE, St.Kitts (Tuesday 6th June 2018)-An autopsy performed on the body of an 82-year-old NewTown woman found dead inside her home earlier this week indicates that she was killed, making her the fifteenth homicide victim in St.Kitts-Nevis for the year.
The motionless body of Iona Nicholas of Pond’s Estate was reportedly discovered on Sunday 3rd June.
Police say that around 9:15 PM they received a call at the Basseterre Police informing them of Nicholas’ death.
Reportedly, Nicholas was discovered dead in her home by one of her grandsons.
Unconfirmed reports suggest that the cause of death was first ruled as natural but a confession and a failed suicide attempt by a close family member prompted a police investigation.
An autopsy performed by Forensic Pathologist Dr. Valery Alexandrov the following day (Monday 4th June) “concluded that her death resulted from mechanical asphyxia due to the obstruction of the airway.”
According to police, “the post-mortem is an important part for investigations.”
Police then established that Nicholas’ death was a homicide.
It was also reported that a “person was taken into police custody on June 04 and is assisting with investigations.”
Police say that “person is now considered a person of interest”, and information reaching this media house indicates that it is a relative of the deceased woman.
Investigations are ongoing.
The Federation’s homicide count for 2018 is eleven recorded deaths on St.Kitts and four on Nevis.