Vermont farmer found dead with chop wound to the neck

Residents of Vermont are at a loss as to why anyone would want to kill their beloved Elias “Hammer” Jackson.{{more}}

Jackson, 50, was found by his son Winston in the Banker Hole mountain in Vermont on Sunday at around 7:30 p.m., with a chop wound to the back of his head.

Mayan Jackson, wife of the deceased, explained to SEARCHLIGHT on Monday morning that her husband left home for his mountain lands sometime after 9 a.m. but did not return home at his usual time, which is just after lunch time.

The mourning wife said after returning from church and realizing that Jackson was not at home, she became worried and called their son Winston, to find out if he knew his father’s whereabouts.

“The morning before he went mountain, he told me he was going to chop down some eddoes, because he wanted to dig 10 sacks for the week.

“So, me come home from church and I didn’t see him come.

“In the evening, now I say, nah boy, something have to wrong. So that is when I called our son to ask if he saw him…” Mayan said.

Jackson’s son Winston and two friends then decided to journey to the Banker Hole mountain in search of the missing man.

SEARCHLIGHT visited the scene where Jackson’s body was discovered and on the way up, met Winston, who along with two members of the police forensic unit and several members of the community, were on their way down.

Holding back tears, the young man briefly described how he discovered his father’s lifeless body.

“When I going up the mountain around minutes to seven, I heard his dogs dem barking on the side of the mountain where he used to work, and when I reach round that side, I smell something burning.

“So, I told the other friend of mine ‘Boy, I smell something ah burn’.

“I walked up to the top watch house where he used to be cooling out, but when I reach there, he was not there. But when I look over the other side, I saw a fire. Me say boy, look a fire over there. So I walked that side and went over. When I reach that side, I met his backpack and cutlass, so I picked them up, cause I didn’t know if is drop he did drop down…” Winston explained.

Winston said after walking down a short distance from where he found his fathers’ backpack and cutlass, he discovered his father’s lifeless body.

“As I took my time and walked along the bushes, all I could behold is my old man on the ground dead.”

The son, in his late 20s, said he dropped to the ground and started to cry.

The grieving widow told SEARCHLIGHT that her husband had told her that if at any time, he was found dead in the mountains, it was because of a marijuana farmer, whom he named.

A friend of the deceased also told SEARCHLIGHT that “Hammer” and the same individual had been involved in an altercation.

Reports indicate that the deceased Jackson, who had dread locks, seemed to have been involved in a struggle, as bushes in the area were trampled, leading to where the body was found. Pieces of Jackson’s dreadlocks were also found at the scene.

Some residents took pieces of the hair, which they said would serve as remembrance of their fallen community member.

The land that Jackson worked in the Banker Hole mountain is located about one hour away from his home in Francois, Vermont.

Elias Jackson was described by his family and members of the Vermont community as a “humble and peaceful” individual, who was always in a jovial mood.

“He was real humble and I never knew him to trouble people. His death is a real shock and a mystery to me,” one woman who grew up with the deceased told SEARCHLIGHT.

The Police Public Relations and Complaints Department said the matter is still being investigated.

The cause of death is still to be determined, as a post mortem had not yet been done at press time yesterday evening.

Jackson’s death brings to 11, the number of murders so far for the year, with five taking place in the last two weeks. (AA)