Commissioner vows to nab killers of American missionaries

Commissioner of Police Dr Carl Williams vowed at a late afternoon press conference on Monday that all will be done to catch the culprits responsible for the murder of two American missionaries in St Mary on the weekend.

"We can assure you that we will bring the perpetrators to justice…," the commissioner said.

"We are profoundly saddened by this senseless act of murder," he added.

Dr Williams said that police are pursuing all leads to ensure that "we find the suspects".

The commissioner added that there’s no indication the victims were robbed.

Residents, he said, have pledged to co-operate with the police in bringing the culprits to justice.

Harold Nichols and Randy Hentzel were killed near Albion Mountain, in St Mary, and their bodies found on Saturday and Sunday.

Nichols, 53, who has been living in Huddersfield, Boscobel for some time, was the official liaison officer for all J-Teams in St Mary.

Hentzel, 48, worked as an instructor and Bible teacher. Hentzel was also living in Jamaica at the time of his death, residing in Tower Isles, St Mary.

Nichols is originally from the US state of Pennsylvania while Hentzel hailed from Donnellson and Ackeny in Iowa.

The murders have drawn international attention with concerns being raised about whether these high-profile killings would impact tourism.

But Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett has said that Jamaica and the Caribbean is a peaceful place.

He doesn’t believe that the murders would impact visits to the island by vacationers.