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Nevalesia Campbell: Missing 3-Year-Old Jamaican Girl Found Butchered To Death With Machete

By Angelica N. Sumter
Published on: 07:14 PST, Jul 18, 2016

Authorities in Jamaica say a missing 3-year-old girl was found dead in a ravine after being butchered to death with a machete. According to the Jamaica Gleaner, Nevalesia Campbell of Orange Hill was reported missing to the Brown’s Town police after her mother, Mahalia Poyser, 24, awoke at 1:30 a.m. Sunday, July 10 and discovered the child was missing.

The mother told police officials that she put Campbell and her twin brother to bed at approximately 10:30 p.m. However, less than half an hour later, the child allegedly woke up and asked her mother for a drink of water.

After Poyser gave the child some water, she stated that Campbell went to lay in her bed with her in lieu of returning to her room. The two reportedly fell asleep while watching television, but the mother stated that when she awoke sometime later, the child was missing.

It was reported that when the mother realized the child was missing, she searched the house, and that’s when she noticed the front door was open. Afterward, the mother reportedly contacted police officials and reported the child missing.

However, not long after the child reportedly vanished in the middle of the night, the missing Jamaican child was found dead in a ravine Sunday at approximately 9:30 a.m. with “chop wounds,” according to an officer.

Police officials say they later discovered bloody clothes and a machete in a toilet that belonged to the child’s neighbor, Alexus “Dal Dal” Newland, 19, who has been named a person of interest.

Newland was located just 25 miles where the 3-year-old was found butchered to death.

Police officials will be taking the neighbor in for questioning, but according to Assistant Commissioner Glenford Hudson, it is too early to name a suspect in the brutal killing.

However, Brown’s Town police arrested the child’s mother and her 30-year-old step-father, Roy Downs, just days after the child went missing. Documents stated that the pair could be charged with neglect, as witnesses say the mother and her partner were not at home when the Jamaican girl went missing.

According to the Jamaica Observer, “residents alleged that the children’s mother was seen at a party on the same night that the child was believed to have gone missing.”

After learning the missing Jamaican girl was found butchered to death with a machete, Prime Minister Andrew Holness has been keeping a close eye on the murder investigation. Holness stated that he wants to make sure that “all was being done to bring the killer or killers of the child to justice.”

In a statement, Holness stated that “the government is clear and adamant that we will do whatever we can to deal with these gruesome and indecent acts, especially against our women and children.”

“This is a sincere commitment by myself and our Cabinet. I understand that good progress is being made in the investigation and I believe this is one case where the perpetrator or perpetrators will not get away.”

The brutal death of the Jamaican girl shocked and angered the community, prompting police officials to advise the public not to take matters into their own hands. The community was asked to report to the police if they had any information regarding the slain Jamaican girl.

Following the mother and her partner’s arrest, it was later uncovered that the slain child’s twin brother was also in the home when she was abducted, but the child was not injured nor was he abducted.

The child is currently in the care of his grandmother.

Mahalia Poyser and her partner, Roy Downs, remains in jail on suspicion of “breaches of the Child Care Protection Act.” They are scheduled to appear in court July 29.

The investigation is ongoing.

[Photo by Getty Images/David McNew]

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