Agony for family of Sheffield woman who died in Jamaica with no clear answer of where, when or how she passed

The family of a Sheffield woman who died in Jamaica are appealing for help to bring her home - and establish exactly how she met her end.

Ayesha Homar, of Mawfa Crescent, Gleadless, died in mid-February, 2024, in the last days of an extended holiday to the Caribbean island. She was 48.

But that was six weeks ago. Since then, her family have not only run up against problem after problem in trying to bring her home - but now are not even certain when, where, or how she died.

Now, they are asking for Sheffield’s help to raise the £8,000 needed for Ayesha’s repatriation, while calling on the Government and the Jamaican authorities to investigate what happened to her.

Ayesha’s niece, Bethany Homar, said: “We just can’t get a straight answer.

“We have two different accounts of how she died - one from the authorities and one from the couple she stayed with.

“They say she died over an hour’s drive away from where the police told us she did.

“We just want her home.”

Ayesha first left on her trip on November 25 along with her sister. Her visit was only set for two weeks, but after meeting up with a couple she met on a previous trip, she decided she wanted to try life “in the ‘real’ Jamaica” and extended her holiday until February 15.

But her family lost contact with her on February 12. When they visited her home in Sheffield on February 16, she was not there. Ayesha had not come home.

Bethany said: “Our worst nightmare began. We called the police and the British Embassy and reported her missing.

“The police came to see us on February 17 and told us my aunt had died.”

But it’s here that events became confusing for Ayesha’ family.

The officers of South Yorkshire Police, relaying information from the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), told the family that Ayesha - who was epileptic - had suffered a seizure on a hotel balcony in Montego Bay on February 13, and died in an ambulance on the way to the hospital.

But in the six weeks since then - during which time they have had little contact from the Jamaican authorities, the consular, the embassy or even received Ayesha’ death certificate - the family has come to believe this version of events is wrong.

Bethany said: “We began ringing funeral homes in Jamaica to find where she was. She is at St Michael’s Funeral Home in a place called Browns Town.

“Browns Town is over an hour’s drive from Montego Bay.

“We went to her home in Gleadless and found the number of the couple she was staying with.

“They told us she wasn’t found on a balcony, or in Montego Bay.

“They said she was found facedown in a street in Browns Town, and she had cuts and bruises to her face and arms, and possibly even a broken arm. And she was cold when they found her.

“None of it makes any sense. We don’t know how there can be such different stories about how she died. We just don’t have a straight answer.

“We want her death investigated properly. We want them to issue her death certificate, and we want the authorities to tell us how she can be brought home as so far we have heard nothing.”

While Bethany and her family have not been informed about how to bring Ayesha home, they understand it could cost as much as £5,000, and are asking for Sheffield’s help to raise the money.

They have launched a GoFundMe page which currently stands at a total of £1,785, and are also holding a charity raffle on April 13.

The Star contacted the Home Office and the FCDO to ask if there could be any reason for the two differing accounts over Ayesha’s death, if there were any suspicious circumstances being investigated, and what could be done to bring her home soon.

An FCDO Spokesperson said: “We are supporting the family of a British national who died in Jamaica and are in contact with local authorities”.