In the heart of downtown Kingston, the Crying Child Monument stands as a solemn testament to the countless young lives stolen by violence in Jamaica. Erected in 2008, this monument bears the names of innocent victims whose voices have been silenced forever. Now, another name will be tragically added to this heartbreaking roll call—Price Johnson, a 14-year-old girl whose life was brutally cut short in what should have been the safety of her own home.
A Life Stolen Too Soon
Price Johnson would have turned 15 on February 21, a day meant for celebration. Instead, her family must now find the strength to say their final goodbyes. On a seemingly ordinary Thursday in Palm Grove, Spanish Town Road, St. Andrew, tragedy struck. In broad daylight, a predator invaded her sanctuary. Alone in her apartment, Price had no warning of the horror about to descend upon her. Moments later, the building was filled with her desperate screams.
A relative, alerted by the commotion, rushed into the apartment and engaged in a struggle with the intruder, who managed to escape. Price, a ninth-grade student at Haile Selassie High School, was found with severe wounds to her head and face. Though rushed to the hospital, she succumbed to her injuries while undergoing treatment.
A Mother's Heartbreak
For her mother, Eugene Wade, the pain is unfathomable. “Everyone who knows Price loves her. She hypes me up every time I dress up, 'Mommy, you look good eeh mommy.' Me and her had a strong bond. Price is my last baby, and mi miss her from mi heart.”
The aspiring dancer, known for her determination and strong-willed spirit, had dreams as boundless as her energy. “When you ask her something and she gives you an answer, don’t even bother ask her again because she a guh say, 'Mommy, when mi ready mi tell you.' If Price believe she right, she naah stop until she prove it. You can't push down things pon her,” Wade recalled.
A Community in Mourning
The grief among Price's family and friends is palpable. “Price, come mek we do one TikTok dance,” her cousin, Ashley, cried out, still unable to accept her death. Family members gathered at Wade's stall at Palm Grove, united in their sorrow—some crying, others silent, all heartbroken.
A devoted cousin, Price was the light in her family. “Today Sunday, she would be up there cleaning up the place and a rush me fi done cook,” Wade reflected.
Her mother vividly remembers the last moments they shared. “She inna her sleep, in her house weh supposed to be safe. Mi put on mi clothes, and she come a the grill, and mi give her $500 fi buy food till me come back—only fi get that news when me a come off a the bus. That can't come out a mi head. If in a your house nuh safe, just judge how outside stay,” she said, her voice heavy with anguish.
Seeking Justice and Change
The Hunts Bay Police have since taken the suspect into custody, but the pain of Price’s loss lingers.
Pastor Dr. Stephenson Samuels of the Waltham Park New Testament Church of God condemned the horrific act. “I don't think we protect our children from harm and danger, and that's one concern I have. It just goes to show the decadence, the degradation, and the destruction of our society. To do such a gruesome act, it is just unacceptable. I cry shame on the community. It is sad that that could have happened to a 14-year-old and nobody is saying anything.”
Laurette Adams-Thomas, CEO of the Child Protection and Family Services Agency (CPFSA), also expressed profound sorrow and outrage. “The crime committed against this child is beyond horrific. This tragedy is a stark reminder that we, as a society, must do better to protect our children. The safety and well-being of our youth must be a collective responsibility.”
Community members remain shaken, questioning how such a horrific crime could unfold in broad daylight without immediate intervention. “People from up deh so always sit down outside, and dem don't see a who? She a bawl out, and nobody nuh look? If man a come in here any hours a night, them see, all the other time dem see,” one resident lamented.
A Call to Action
Price's death is yet another tragic reminder that too many of Jamaica’s children are caught in the crossfire of violence and neglect. Her name will be etched onto the Crying Child Monument, but her story should not just be another statistic.
It is time for a national reckoning—for communities to stand together, for justice to be swift, and for every child to feel safe in their own home. Price deserved better. Every child in Jamaica deserves better.