Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Kamina Johnson Smith says a Jamaican man whose identity is not yet known has died in Mexico.

Minister Johnson Smith who was responding to questions from journalists during a post-Cabinet press briefing on Wednesday (May 10), said the Jamaican national has been missing in Mexico in recent weeks.

“I do want to share though that just this week it has come to my attention, that a young man who has been missing in Mexico has now been identified as having died. He was regrettably an unidentified person found on a street in Mexico and his family had no idea where he was and the persons who were supposed to be travelling with him became uncontactable by the family. However some efforts were made by our embassy in Mexico to reach out to the department that is responsible for identification of persons-and it was found that the young Jamaican citizen was identified as having an autopsy performed on him but not having a body claimed,”

Kamina Johnson Smith

The Foreign Affairs minister said that she will be working with the family to assist with the repatriation of the body.

She also took the opportunity to caution Jamaicans against trusting scammers and smugglers who lure individuals in vulnerable communities into taking the illegal route in search of a better life in other territories.

Johnson-Smith said that she will give an update about on another developing situation which involves kidnapping at a later date.

“There are real consequences to trying to enter the U.S illegally or any other country for that matter and we really encourage Jamaicans to take a second and third thought before it is they take that decision,” the Minister said.