Katelan Desma Jeremie (inset) and her deceased baby fathers, Arthur Paul Jones and Kerison Joseph.
A 19-year-old mother of two from Bagatelle, Castries is now mourning the tragic death of a second baby father in less than three years.
In the most recent incident, Katelan Desma Jeremie lost 34-year-old Kerison Joseph of La Croix Maingot, Castries – the father of her eight-month-old son - in a motor vehicle accident on the Bexon Highway on Saturday, May 16, 2015, at around 9 p.m.
On Thursday, November 29, 2012, at around 1 a.m., Jeremie lost the father of her three-year-old daughter (then seven months old) – Arthur Paul Jones – in a shooting incident in Trouya, Gros-Islet.
Friends and relatives of the teen mother, who turns 20 this year, told St. Lucia News Online (SNO) that Jeremie is taking the loss “hard”, adding that it is hurtful to know that both children will grow up without a father.
Joseph’s death will also leave a huge financial hole for the unemployed mother to cover, a relative said.
According to a police press release, on Saturday, motor pickup, registration number TE8723, driven by 62-year-old Hyacinth Franklin of La Clery, Castries was travelling in a northerly direction and motorcycle, registration number PJ341, driven by Joseph in the opposite direction, when they collided with each other.
As a result of the collision, police said both vehicles received extensive damage and Joseph sustained serious injuries. Joseph was transported to the Victoria Hospital where he later succumbed to his injuries, police said.
Joseph, affectionately known as BK and Tall Man, was a well-known tour guide from Joe Knows boat tours. His favourite phrase was “Es ou ni che” (meaning, “do you have guts (or heart)?”), which was written on his motorcycle’s registration plate.
Meanwhile, Jones was shot several times shot while walking in Trouya between 12 midnight and 1 a.m. in November 2012.
Jones, who was 27 at the time of his death, was reportedly leaving the home of a female friend when he was ambushed.
Four persons were reportedly in custody assisting police with the investigations, but is not known if they were ever charged.
Police at the time theorised that Jones’ death may have been linked to a shooting earlier that year that left one person dead and another seriously wounded.
Deceased: Arthur Jones (shooting) and Kerison Joseph (vehicle accident).
The spots where Arthur Jones (Trouya – left photo) and Kerison Joseph (Bexon – right) met their deaths less than three years apart.