Navy Culinary Specialist Hatched Plot to Kidnap and Kill Woman and Her Baby in Jamaica, Say Prosecutors

Leoda Bradshaw, 34, was charged with murder and kidnapping

A U.S. Navy cook was indicted in Jamaica after authorities say she organized a plot to kill a mother and her 10-month-old baby, who is also the daughter of a Jamaican member of parliament.

The Jamaica Constabulary Force said at a press conference Friday that Toshyna Patterson, 27, and her daughter Sarayah Paulwell were murdered before their bodies were burned and later disposed of, after the pair went missing on Sept. 9 from their home in Kingston.

Leoda Vanessa Bradshaw, 34, was charged with two counts each of murder, kidnapping, conspiracy to murder and conspiracy to kidnap, the Constabulary Force said.

“It is one of the most painful investigations for the team since recent times,” Deputy Commissioner Fitz Bailey said at the conference.

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NBC News, citing Jamaican prosecutors, reported that Bradshaw paid three men — Roland Balfour, Richard Brown and Roshane Miller — to kidnap Patterson and her young child. The Constabulary also announced charges against the three men at Friday’s press conference.

It is not immediately clear if any of the four defendants have retained attorneys.

Sarayah was the daughter of Member of Parliament Phillip Paulwell, who released a statement after the brutal killings.

“Nothing could have prepared me for the events that unfolded since last week Thursday and the alleged discoveries,” Paulwell said in the statement. “That anyone could murder a mother and an innocent baby is unimaginable and my heart is heavy with sadness.”

“I am praying for Toshyna’s family who I know are experiencing the unbearable grief and pain of losing their beloved daughter and granddaughter,” he continued.

Bradshaw also had a child with Paulwell, and even considered him to be her spouse, NBC, Task and Purpose and The Gleaner reported, citing prosecutors.

A Navy spokesperson tells PEOPLE that Bradshaw is a Culinary Specialist Seaman, assigned to a recruiting unit in Miami. She enlisted in 2020.

"The Navy takes all allegations of misconduct seriously and is fully cooperating with appropriate investigative and law enforcement authorities," the spokesperson said. "The matter is currently under investigation by Jamaican authorities and the Navy Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS)."

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