Instagram Influencer Aneka Townsend Found Dead in Water Off Jamaican Coast

Police in Jamaica have named a person of interest in the death of Aneka Townsend, an Instagram influencer whose body was recently found in the ocean.

On Saturday, Oct. 22, the Jamaica Constabulary Force issued a statement confirming Townsend’s identity (the influencer, who also went by “Kayan” or “Slickianna,” had over 300,000 followers). They also named Rushane “Chizzie” Patterson as a person of interest in the case.

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Townsend, a 35-year-old mother of one, was found and retrieved from the water on Oct. 21 near the Reading area of St. James Parish (located on the northern coast of Jamaica, east of Montego Bay). According to the Jamaica Observer, no official cause of death has been given, but authorities said Townsend had wounds on her head and neck. Other reports stated that a towel, possibly covered in blood, and a wig were also recovered from the scene.

As for Patterson, authorities said he was named a person of interest because investigators believed he could “assist them in advancing the probe into Townsend’s death.” In their statement, they requested that he turn himself in to police by 5 p.m. on Oct. 22. The Jamaica Constabulary Force did not immediately return Rolling Stone’s request for comment.

Speaking with The Gleaner, one of Townsend’s friends remembered her as somebody who “lived in her truth” and didn’t even consider herself an “influencer.”

“Outside of what everybody saw on social media — the life of the party, the fashionista, the strong person — Aneka was somebody that lived in her truth,” said her friend, Kareem Weathers. “She was somebody that was very much open about her past and her life and her past struggles and how she’s just grateful to be in the position that she’s in.”

Weathers added, “She was such a genuine soul, and I just cannot understand why,” he lamented. “We would always joke that we’d get old and still be enjoying our lives. And I always joke and tell her that you’re going to be that old woman weh look good that put themselves together, and always a dress up.”

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