DANGRIGA, Stann Creek District, Mon. April, 15, 2019– The search at sea for missing 2nd form student of Delille Academy in Dangriga, Fredrick Gilbert Lammey, Jr., 16, who was reported missing Thursday by relatives of his, has come to an unfortunate end.
The body of the missing teenager was found at about 10:30 Saturday morning floating in the sea in front of Coco Plum Caye, which is about four miles from the shores of Dangriga. The discovery was made by a search party two days after he disappeared at sea.
The body was taken to the Southern Regional Hospital, where an autopsy conducted Saturday morning certified that Lammey’s death was caused bydrowning.
ASP (Assistant Police Superintendent) Alejandro Cowo said that no sign of violence was seen on the body. However, Lammey’s mother is urging the police to investigate her son’s death, because there appear to be many gaps in the story, and she does not believe that her son would jump overboard from a boat to his death.
ASP Cowo said that Jael Sjogreen, 23, a fisherman of Dangriga Town, told police that at about 5:30 Monday evening, he and his cousin, Fredrick Lammey, and a friend went to South Water Caye to fish.
Sjogreen said that while at the fishing camp, Lammey began to behave strangely and at about 6:00 Thursday morning, Lammey said that he was “seeing spirits,” and that was when Sjogreen decided to take him back home to Dangriga. He became worried that Lammey would hurt himself or someone else on the caye.
Sjogreen said that when they became distracted while making preparations for the return journey, Lammey took the boat and was sailing away with it, but he, Sjogreen, jumped into the sea, swam after the boat and was able to get ahold of it and bring it back, but Lammey began to be more unstable in his behavior.
According to Sjogreen, he managed to tap Lammey’s head with a conch shell, and Lammey went to sleep. They then put him in the boat and tied him up with rope to restrain him.
Sjogreen told police that they began to sail back to Dangriga at about 9:30 that morning, but shortly after leaving the caye, the outboard engine began to have mechanical problems, and he and his cousin began to repair the machine, during which time Lammey, who regained consciousness, was able to untie the knots and jump overboard, and he swam away.
Sjogreen said that they tried to throw a rope to him to pull him back to the boat, but Lammey did not take the rope, and he went under the water.
Sjogreen said that after repairing the engine, they began to look for Lammey, but he had disappeared. He then went back to the caye, from where he contacted the police and the Coast Guard, and made a missing person report.
Police said that they received the report and alerted the Coast Guard, and Coast Guard officers came and began the search for Lammey.
ASP Cowo said that an autopsy conducted on Lammey’s body included an examination of samples of his blood to search for traces of drugs or alcohol, as they have no record that Lammey was suffering from mental illness.
Delille Academy students and staff attended Lammey’s burial at the Dangriga Town Cemetery on Saturday night.