Severed head of escaped prisoner found in Jamaica; police hunt for body, other escapees

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico _ Jamaican officials say the severed head of a murder suspect who escaped from jail has been found along railroad tracks in a city west of the capital.

Police say residents made the discovery Saturday morning near where 26-year-old Duran Colman and four other prisoners broke out of the Spanish Town lockup Dec. 19 by cutting through a metal grille.

Colman had faced murder charges, while the others are accused of illegal firearms possession, aggravated assault and robbery. One of the prisoners has already turned himself in.

Authorities are still searching for Colman’s body and the other escapees.

Jamaica had the world’s sixth-highest homicide rate in 2014, according to the United Nations. The country recorded 1,005 killings last year and officials say the toll could reach 1,200 this year.

The Associated Press