Police investigating the death of Judiann Myles confirmed on Wednesday that forensic evidence indicates that the car in which she died was deliberately set alight, but stopped short of defining the the case as a murder investigation.
Myles, 47, the head of the Cayman Islands Monetary Authority’s anti-money laundering unit, was found dead inside a burning car on the afternoon of 3 April in an empty lot in Lookout Gardens in Bodden Town.
Inspector Dian Dyer-Alexander, speaking at a press briefing on crime statistics Wednesday, said the case had not yet been officially classified as murder because police are still awaiting forensic results.
“A formal classification of the investigation will be determined once we have the forensic findings, including the outstanding toxicology and trauma assessment that are ongoing,” she said.
“What I can say is, from our initial forensic evidence, the fire was deliberately set.”
She added, “However, we are unable to comment further on the investigation at this time, as we are awaiting final forensic reports.”
‘High-priority case’
Dyer-Alexander said this remains “a high-priority case” which was “still active and ongoing”.
Asked if anyone had been detained for questioning in the case, Dyer-Alexander said police have spoken to a number of individuals, but all had been ruled out as persons of interest in relation to the investigation.
The RCIPS has partnered with several local and international forensic experts “in order to get to the bottom of what happened to Mrs. Myles,” she told reporters. These include a forensic pathologist, a forensic anthropologist and a forensic fire investigator.
“In terms of the investigation itself, we have been reviewing numerous CCTV cameras within the area. So far, we have retrieved CCTV from at least 29 locations, and we are actively reviewing those footages, along with witness accounts, forensic evidence, as we progress with our investigations.”
Police are continuing to appeal to the public for anyone who may has seen Myles’ car, a white Honda CR-V, in the vicinity of Lookout Gardens between noon and 2pm on Thursday, 3 April.
Members of the public with any information are urged to contact the Major Incident Room at 649-2930 or provide tips anonymously via Cayman Crime Stoppers.
