MANDEVILLE, Manchester — The Manchester police were last night searching for the 19-year-old sister of 11-year-old Tareek Gregory in connection with his murder at Harmons District, South Manchester, on Monday afternoon.
Police say Tareek, a student of Harmons Primary, went missing after arriving home from school.
  Eleven-year-old Tareek Gregory’s body was found with the throat cut and stab wounds to the side and face. (Photo: Gregory Bennett) 1/1  |
His mother eventually found his body in late evening in a back room of their home still in school uniform but with his throat cut and stab wounds to the side and face. Relatives said even the child's pet bird was killed.
When the Observer visited Harmons as well as the Porus police station, where a formal report was being made, relatives made it clear they believed the tragedy flowed from disputes between Tareek's older sister (name withheld) and her parents. The quarrels caused the teen — who relatives said is a mother — to leave the family house two weeks ago.
'Reeky', as Tareek was affectionately called, was said to be a loving and quiet child who would "hide and lend" his sister his phone even when he was not supposed to. He played sports for his school and loved to ride his bicycle and would greet others even if he had already seen them several times for the day, the Observer was informed.
Relatives said that on Monday evening his grand uncle heard his last words from a nearby house: "(name withheld) yuh frighten mi."
The older sister, who was said to have been in the community on Monday, disappeared after news broke of Tareek's death, according to residents.
Relatives who spoke to the Observer painted a picture of a disturbed young woman with serious behavioural problems.
She was said to have dropped out of high school because of her tendency to get into fights and her family has even sought counselling for her at the Child Development Agency (CDA).
"She never lose a fight yet, the only time she lose a fight was with me," said her eldest brother Jermaine Gregory. He said about eight months ago she left her young child with minimal supervision at the house of a friend to go to a dance.
After hearing about the incident her mother reportedly refused her entry to the family home and she became angry. Jermaine alleged that his sister visited his house nearby with a ratchet knife in her hand saying "if mommy nuh let mi in, mi ago stab her in her heart".
The threat reportedly led to a physical altercation between sister and brother, which Jermaine said made him remorseful afterwards. He said they made amends and the relationship between them got better. However, he alleged, this angered the young woman's boyfriend who threatened him.
Relatives alleged that the boyfriend became a bone of contention within the family since he is said to be a blood relative. Jermaine said his sister was given an ultimatum by her father to end the relationship with her cousin or leave the house. She reportedly left the district about two weeks ago but had returned in recent days — staying with a friend.
Yesterday, relatives had different theories as to who wielded the knife.
"I don't feel like she did the actual act, but she would be the cause of it so she a fi guh dung to," said her brother Jermaine.
An aunt, Shernette Gregory-Higgins also spoke of her niece's behavioural problems. "Personally she is (okay with) me," she said. However, she said she had noticed that since her niece's return from a trip abroad in March of this year she had not been as affectionate towards her as before. She recalled that her niece came to her last year hugging her, crying and saying "daddy and mommy a pet up Reeky".
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