Philipsburg: --- A search team comprising of co-workers and family members discovered the body of a 21 year old girl in the Oyster Pond area early Thursday morning. The body was recovered on the French side about 20 meters away from the border and in close proximity of Border Bar. According to information reaching SMN News the body was found in the bushes baring severe marks of violence, it is also believed that the victim was raped before being murdered.
The victim has been identified as Clemencia Josie-Ann Julot, (21) born on July 31 1989 on St. Maarten and she is of Haitian descent. Police spokesman Geronimo Juliet said the victim disappeared early Tuesday morning when she went jogging; she is also an employee of Blue Point Store.
According to information reaching SMN News employees of Blue Point and family members including the deceased father formed a search team to look for the missing girl. The team searched most of Oyster Pond on Wednesday and resumed the search early Thursday morning when the gruesome discovery was made.
In an exclusive interview with SMN News the victim's father and best friend said they are suspicious of someone who was calling the victim threatening to beat and kill her. Clemente Zepher father of the victim said his daughter told him some time ago that a woman called her on several occasions threatening to beat and kill her if she does not leave her man alone. Zepher said his daughter told him that this person was the girlfriend of her teacher at Educa bureau RRR. "My daughter told me the teacher also tried to seduce her but she was not interested in him. The teacher went to her job and told her to choose which laptop she wanted and he will pay for it and my daughter refused it. She was a church going girl who believed in God and did not want anything to do with men who were not part of the church" Zepher said.
Mackson Jean, the victim's best friend said Josie-ann told him on a number of occasions that she is fearful for her life because of the constant phone threats. "Josie-ann told me the person on the phone said they were going to use one of her cousin's to kill her. When that happened Josie-ann filed a complaint with the police on the Dutch side but nothing came out of the matter." Jean said sometimes he was with Josie-ann when this person would call her and each time she would tell him she is scared.
Jean said Josie-ann and her teacher whom he said is from Africa were friends because Josie-ann would translate the teacher's work for him. He said because of the translations and friendship the teacher had Josie-ann's phone number in his phone which his girlfriend found and she (the teacher's girlfriend) believed that the two people were having an affair. The best friend said he knew his friend and she had nothing personal with this African man who called the family on Tuesday night and told them he and his girlfriend has nothing to do with Josie-ann's disappearance. The family said they are becoming more suspicious of the African teacher and his girlfriend because when they first called him he did not answer his regular phone and ever since her disappearance he has been calling them with private phone numbers each time telling them that he does not know what happened to Josi-anne. One of the calls came in while SMN News reporter was at the family's house on Thursday.
Another cousin who also attended Educa Bureau where the teacher was working said she also knew the teacher because he taught both of them. The cousin who preferred to remain anonymous said she told police about these calls and the teacher in question.
The family also believes that the system has failed them because when they went to report Josie-anne's disappearance they were told by the Dutch side police that they have to return in 24-hours since the young lady is not a minor. The family said they also reported the disappearance on the French side and the Gendarmes told them that they would begin looking after 48 hours. "I think if they (police) had started to look before they would have found her alive. When she was found her body looked fresh and blood was seeping out of the wounds. She was found naked and her clothing was next to her. While the killer or killers raped her they also shot her and the bullet shells were recovered on the scene." Said one family member.
The distraught and angry father said his daughter along with two friends normally goes jogging every morning but on Tuesday the two friends were late and his daughter apparently went alone. He said his daughter began exercising some six months ago after a doctor on the French side ordered her to lose weight in order for her take a surgery. The man said his daughter had multiple cists in her abdomen which had to be removed and the doctor placed her on weight loss medication and also instructed her to exercise daily.
Public Prosecutor Rienk Mud in a press release confirmed the gruesome discovery of the young girl's body. Mud said the body was found on the French side of the border and the gendarmes are leading the investigation with the cooperation of the Dutch side. The public prosecutor said police are also looking for witnesses of the gruesome murder and they are urging persons with information to contact the police at 0059954-22222 or 911.
Several efforts made to contact the French prosecutor on Thursday proved futile. SMN News could not reach the commandant of the gendarmerie either for a comment.
