A Queens birthday trip meant to be a short escape to Jamaica ended in brutal tragedy when Melissa Kerry Samnath, an accountant from New York, was found dead shortly after landing on the island. Relatives say the celebration turned into a nightmare in real time, as she sent frantic messages pleading for help before her killing. Jamaican investigators have since named her husband, Dane Watson, a person of interest as they search for answers.
Samnath’s final WhatsApp message, sent shortly before 11 p.m. on April 29, begged for help: "I need you to call the cops. … Look at my location ... It is a pink house." Not long after, the family received a phone call from someone in Jamaica telling them she had been killed. A post-mortem conducted on May 6 found that Samnath died from multiple blunt-force trauma to the head, according to the Jamaica Gleaner.
Police say Watson took Samnath to Cornwall Regional Hospital in St. James on April 29, helped her out of a vehicle, then left the premises. Hospital staff later notified authorities after she was pronounced dead. Detectives subsequently discovered evidence and what they described as "pools of blood" at a property in Norwood, St. James, and surveillance footage reportedly shows a man carrying Samnath’s suitcases as she walks behind him from an Airbnb, according to reporting by Caribbean National Weekly.
Her niece, Janice Wynter, told relatives she was the one who had to identify her aunt’s battered body before the autopsy, a task she described as heartbreaking, saying, "She didn’t deserve that." The family has since launched a fundraiser to help cover the cost of bringing Samnath’s body back to New York and paying for funeral expenses. On their GoFundMe page, relatives note they publicly announced her death on May 4 and remember Samnath as a "strong, loving, and unforgettable woman," according to GoFundMe.
Police appeal and how to help
The Jamaica Constabulary Force has urged Watson to report immediately to the Freeport Police Station and is appealing to the public for any information that could help the investigation. Anyone with tips is asked to contact the Freeport Police at 876-953-6191, Crime Stop at 311 or the police emergency number at 119, according to reporting by Our Today.
