Dad gets tragic news while at funeral

Imagine you’re attending a funeral and you receive a telephone call stating that your child has died.

That’s exactly what happened to James Smart on January 31, when his 17-year-old son, Cauldric “Junior” Williams, drowned at Petit Byahaut, during a church picnic.{{more}}

“He came by me the Friday and we just chill

and on the Saturday now, when I was at a funeral, I get call say my son get in an accident and dead,” Smart told SEARCHLIGHT yesterday.

After receiving the tragic news, Smart said he immediately headed to the Milton Cato Memorial Hospital, but when he arrived, he was told that there was no one there by his son’s name.

“I rush go to the barracks (Central Police Station) now and is there they told me that he’s already in the mortuary. When I go back by the hospital now, they told me I have to come back for the results of the post mortem on Wednesday,” the distraught father said.

According to a police report, Williams was at a picnic at Petit Byahaut, on the Leeward coast, when he experienced difficulties while swimming.

Following a search, Williams’ body was discovered at the bottom of the sea.

Tameisha Williams, one of the deceased boy’s sisters, said she was at work when she received a telephone call from her brother, informing her that Junior had died.

“I say what? And then I broke down and started crying… I made some other calls and it was confirmed that he died.”

Tameisha, who declined to have her photograph taken, said she was told by someone who was in attendance at the picnic that her brother was in the water with other members of the church.

“They told me that they saw him stop when they were swimming. They told him if he tired, he could go on the rock. The others said they continued swimming and somebody looked back and asked where is Junior,” she said.

“When they go back and start searching and searching, they said they found him to the bottom of the sea.”

She described her brother as a stubborn person at times, but noted that he loved to fix old things and ride bicycles.

“We loved him, nevertheless. He was always involved in trying to learn new things. We will miss him,” Tameisha stated.

When contacted, the assistant pastor at the church Williams attended, declined to say much on the matter, stating that the church had not yet given the police a report.

“We have not given a statement to the police as yet and we will go from there until we have done so,” said Kenyatta Lewis, assistant pastor of the Harvest Bible Chapel at Villa.

He added that Williams had been attending the church for about a year and was very quiet individual.

“He was very humble. He was easy to talk to and a number of the others were just getting to know him. From my personal perspective, he was just a good guy,” Lewis stated.

At their worship on Sunday, Lewis said a number of counsellors were in attendance to assist persons who have been affected.

“We had some young children there on the trip and we set up some counselling for those who may want the counselling done individually,” he stated.

Lewis expressed his sympathy with the family and assured them that the church will do whatever they can to assist in their difficult time. (KW)