Crime scene investigators and forensic specialists were kept quite busy yesterday in Fish River district in Orange Bay, Hanover, where they exhumed the remains of American national, 72-year-old Nancy Hardy, whose body was found wrapped in a green towel with the hands and feet bound and the mouth stuffed with a rag.

The police gave positive confirmation at about 3:30 p.m. that the body was in fact that of Hardy.

Hardy, who often travelled back and forth between Negril and the United States, went missing from her home in Whitehall, Negril on Saturday. After numerous attempts to contact her, her friends made a report to the Negril police, who commenced investigations.

Contrary to initial reports, which stated that the grave was discovered by a resident of Orange Bay, the police told The Gleaner that they were in fact led to the location by a dreadlocks man, who residents of Whitehall told them was involved in an intimate relationship with the elderly woman.

"He told us that the last time he saw her, she was in the company of another dreadlocks man, who lives in Orange Bay," the police investigator said. "He led us here (Orange Bay) and while we found the house empty, in looking around the yard and the neighbouring property, we found this new grave with a piece of bed sheet sticking out of it."

POLICE LOOKING FOR 'RASTA'

According to residents, who converged on the location, the man who occupied the house is believed to be a gigolo, who regularly brings home white American women of all ages. According to them, he is originally from Clarendon but has been living in the area since his father, who was the original owner of the house, died four years ago.

"Dis a wan awful act, real gruesome act and we nuh love dat. A nuh suh we place run," an Orange Bay resident told The Gleaner yesterday. "Dem place yah a just farming area, man just go a dem work, who fe farm just farm, yu understand. We a people weh sidung a wi back door and listen birds sing, we nuh use to nothing like dem thing yah."

A young male resident of Whitehall said, "The little old lady was very nice. Good, quiet and nice little woman. I can't understand why anyone would want to kill her. She was always nice and easy-going."

The police are now anxious to locate a man known only as 'Rasta', who owns the house near the grave site. Hardy car is missing.