Police rule out foul play in deaths of judge, businessman

MONTEGO BAY, St James — The police have ruled out foul play in the deaths of two individuals in western Jamaica following high-profile cases that shook the country in separate incidents last September and March. In the first incident, 59-year-old Trelawny Parish Court Judge Ruth Lawrence was reportedly found unresponsive at her Coral Spring, Trelawny, home by her 47-year-old husband on September 30, 2025. Reports are that Lawrence missed her usual morning run and did not go to work. Her partner reportedly first interacted with her between 1:00 pm and 2:00 pm when he heard her making sounds indicating she was unwell. The next exchange reportedly came about 4:00 pm when the judge, responding to her partner’s query in an anguished tone, said she could not move. The reports indicate that the man took Lawrence to the hospital, where she was pronounced dead at 7:18 pm. When contacted for an update, head of Police Area 1, Assistant Commissioner Glenford Miller told the Jamaica Observer that “no foul play was suspected, based upon the investigation”. In the second incident, 45-year-old Craig Chong, who operated multiple hardware stores in Westmoreland, was suspected to have died by suicide. The incident reportedly took place along the Belmont main road in the parish around 11:15 pm on March 5.

According to police reports, citizens heard a loud explosion followed by a crashing sound and alerted the authorities. Upon the arrival of law enforcement a 2017 white Ford Everest motor vehicle was seen off a section of the roadway in the bushes. Chong was later observed seated in the driver’s seat with what appeared to be a gunshot wound to the right side of his head. ACP Miller said initial police findings have not changed, following a comprehensive review of the case. “Notwithstanding what was said in the initial stage, the scene was actually re-enacted. Crime scene personnel were called in again to revisit the scene and, based upon their expertise and all that they would have done, it was classified at the end of the day to be a suicide,” stated ACP Miller.