A somber atmosphere enveloped Falmouth Fishing Beach on Tuesday morning after the headless body of 16-year-old Jahmari Reid was pulled from the waters off the Trelawny coast. The William Knibb Memorial High School student, who had gone missing during a solo spearfishing expedition the previous day, is believed to have fallen victim to a rare shark attack—a tragedy that has left the community in shock.
Jahmari’s mutilated body, with his left arm severed and his head missing, was discovered by divers who had launched a search early Tuesday morning. The gruesome sight drew a crowd of onlookers, including Jahmari’s heartbroken father, Michael Reid, a taxi operator. Michael had long been concerned about his son’s passion for spearfishing, often urging him to give up the hobby.
“I can’t believe this happened,” Michael said, his voice heavy with grief. “He went out to sea alone, and this is the outcome. It’s devastating. I always warned him about the dangers.”
Local fisherman Christopher Reynolds, who was among those on the beach, shared that the divers who found Jahmari’s remains had encountered a massive tiger shark in the waters near where the body was recovered. Despite their efforts to scare off the shark, the predator eluded them.
“They saw the big shark while they were diving to recover his body. They shot at it, but it got away,” Reynolds recounted, visibly shaken. He expressed a strong desire for the shark to be hunted down, a practice he believes should be carried out to ensure such a tragedy doesn’t happen again.
This incident marks the first fatal shark attack in recent memory in the waters of Trelawny, and it has sent ripples of fear through the fishing community. Fritz Christie, President of the Falmouth Fisherfolks Benevolent Society, speculated that the shark may have followed a cruise ship into the area, urging local spearfishers to exercise extreme caution, especially when vessels are docked at the Falmouth port.
“We have to be extra careful when these ships come in,” Christie advised. “The shark bit off the young man’s head and his hand. It’s a terrifying thing to think about.”
The Falmouth police are conducting an investigation into the incident, while the community mourns the loss of a promising young life. Jahmari, who was preparing to enter the 11th grade in September, had his dreams and future cut short by this tragic event. His mother, Levern Robinson, was so overwhelmed with grief that she required medical attention, while his father, Michael, openly wept for his son.
As the investigation unfolds, the residents of Falmouth are left to confront the harsh reality of a shark attack that has shattered their sense of safety in the waters they’ve always known. This tragedy serves as a stark reminder of the unpredictable dangers that the sea can hold, even in familiar waters.
