Death of woman found in Warwick is ‘suspicious’
The death of a woman who was found unresponsive last week has been deemed suspicious, police confirmed this afternoon.
Acting Detective Superintendent Jason Smith appealed for residents to provide information if they knew the movements of Honnée Smith, 29, in the days leading up to the time that she was discovered by the South Shore in Warwick.
In an update today, the Bermuda Police Service also revealed that independent charity Crime Stoppers has offered a $5,000 reward for information leading to each individual conviction of people involved in a double murder that happened on May 1 in Sandys.
Mr Smith said that an investigation team was put together in the wake of Honnée Smith’s death, which was announced on Friday after she succumbed to injuries at King Edward VII Memorial Hospital.
He said: “It is still being investigated. We have put together a team of investigators who have been canvassing witnesses, conducting various lines of inquiry.
“As a result of those inquiries and some assistance from members of the public, it leads us now to believe that her death is suspicious, and we are treating it as such.”
Mr Smith said it was known that in the early hours of Thursday, Ms Smith was in the area of Darrell’s Wharf, Warwick in a motor vehicle, and travelled west from there between midnight and about 3am.
She was found shortly after 11.30am on Thursday on a rocky embankment just off the trails near Warwick Playground.
Mr Smith said that a better understanding was needed of Ms Smith’s movements as well as people she interacted with from Monday onwards “so that we can be able to trace her footsteps so we can get some clarity”.
He noted that a family liaison officer was appointed for the case and urged anyone with information to call Detective Inspector Leroy Mathurin on 717-2040.
Mr Smith did not provide details of any injuries that Ms Smith may have suffered.
He said: “We are still waiting for the post-mortem examination results, that’s to be conducted shortly. Once we have that, I think we’ll be in a better position to advise the public.”
Assistant Commissioner of Police Antoine Daniels offered more information about work undertaken by officers after the double murder at Legends sports bar on May 1, which claimed the lives of Jasmin Smith, 32, and Shaquan Williams, 29.
He said that the BPS multi-purpose response plan was designed not only to catch those responsible for the incident, which also brought the attempted murder of three others, but also to reduce opportunities for retaliation.
Mr Daniels said that the scheme aimed to implement high-visibility patrols, provide community reassurance as well as regular updates, and to call on the public for help.
He thanked people who had given information and added that the “depth of assistance” in the investigation was significant.
Since the plan was launched, police have carried out 441 stop-and-searches — not including any performed last night.
Officers have executed 11 warrants at residences and businesses across the island, including ten directly linked to the homicides.
Mr Daniels said 27 arrests were made, with three of those directly linked to the investigation, and of those, two people remained in custody.
He implored the public to assist police in tracking down the four suspects in the shooting.
He said: “These are likely being hidden by someone. What I would suggest, as we always do to the community, is to ask for these people to assist the police because technically, when you’re harbouring somebody, they can be prosecuted as well.
Mr Daniels said that it was concerning that one of the gunmen who was reportedly injured in the shooting had not sought medical treatment.
He said: “We have someone that’s quite seriously injured that’s out there that has not sought any type of hospital treatment. We are appealing to people’s better side of their minds to get this young person to come in because we don’t want any more tragedy in this community.”
Assistant Commissioner of Police Antoine Daniels denied claims that the Bermuda Police Service were losing the war on crime — but insisted that battles could be won only with the assistance of the community.
Mr Daniels said that crime was inevitable, but that the island was tiring of recurring waves of violence.
Questioned by The Royal Gazette, Mr Daniels said: “I don’t like to use the word ‘war’ because we’re not quite at war. What I would say is it’s not the Bermuda Police Service, it’s the community as a whole, because whether the Bermuda Police Service are here or not, the community have to look after each other, right?
“You are always going have those that look for a window to commit crime. The Bermuda Police Service come in normally when things have gone wrong. We have our preventive side as well but if people are not in the right mindsets, I don’t care how many police officers you may have.
“As I’ve always been saying for the last 20 years, if people believe that this type of behaviour is not going to come to their doorstep, there’s enough evidence now to see where we’re heading.
“You have it at community events, you have it at grocery stores, you have it at bars, you have it on the street — if everybody doesn’t come together to try to arrest this behaviour, this is what you’re going to have.
“I’m not trying to scare anybody but we have to, as a country, stop saying ‘the police’ or ‘corrections’ or ‘the courts’ — it’s everybody.
“I’m not saying it’s anyone’s fault. I’m just saying that we have to police this together because we police by consent.
“The police have a role to play — I’m not making excuses — we always try to improve our detectives, training, awareness, work closer with the community — we do all sorts of things to try to improve, so we would like people to work with us, so that’s why we come to these forums to ask for assistance.
“In 2025, people are not just going to walk into a police station and say, ‘Hi, I did it’. That’s not reality.
“I don’t like to think that things are getting any worse.
“People are getting frustrated with this type of behaviour. People are assisting the police.”
Mr Daniels said that there had been sightings of suspects that “obviously we haven’t been able to get hands on”, adding that the high-visibility police presence would continue.
Sharing a note from Crime Stoppers, he said: “The independent charity Crime Stoppers have offered up a $5,000 reward for information that leads to arrest and conviction of each of the individuals responsible for this particular incident — meaning the Legends matter — or the seizure of a firearm.
“Crime Stoppers just want your information. They will never ask for your name or personal details.
“This is a completely anonymous community service to help stop and prevent any further crime.”
Mr Daniels added that the Crime Stoppers number is 800-8477.
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