Family left to mourn as man commits suicide

He read his Bible, lay down with his girlfriend a while, got up, went for a walk, ended up in a nearby plantain field, drank a poisonous substance and died.{{more}}

This is how 22-year-old Shem Keishel Thomas of Overland, whose stiff, lifeless body was found on Sunday, May 27, is believed to have died.His body was found by his girlfriend of five years Zelia Irish 20, at around 8am.

“When I didn’t see him come home the night, the next morning I went looking for him,” said Zelia, with whom he lived and had a two-year-old son Shemroy.

Zelia told SEARCHLIGHT that along with her neighbour Kayon Findlay, they went in search of Shem on that unfortunate Sunday morning.

“We checked on the beach and didn’t see him, then we decided to check the plantain field and see him there,” she said.

Shem is originally from Campdem Park and Zelia, Lowmans Windward. They were also raising her son from a previous relationship, six-year-old Lesroy.

“I don’t know why he did what he did, but he was telling me that I had to start looking for a new man but I didn’t take him serious,” Zelia told SEARCHLIGHT.

At Press time an autopsy was still to be done on the young farmer’s body.