The family of 38-year-old Antonio Mapp are in shock and at a loss as to what happened to their loved one.
Mapp’s body was discovered off the roadway along Wakefield, St John, early yesterday morning by a passer-by. He was lying next to his motorcycle.
While they are unsure as to where Mapp was heading or coming from, some family members said they last saw him on Saturday and want answers on how he was found dead just a stone’s throw away from his Sherbourne No.3, St John home.
Many curious onlookers, including some family members, speculated some form of foul play was involved.
Mapp’s father Mitchell Toppin, who was still in a state of shock, tried to remain calm at the scene but the pain of losing his son was too much to bear. He spoke briefly to the media and said he was still trying to process the news.
Toppin said Mapp lived downstairs his home, and he thought that was where he was since he last saw him on Saturday morning.
“I called for him yesterday morning and I thought he was downstairs sleeping. I had no clue that my son was over here lying down dead,” the distraught father said.
Toppin described his son as “a wonderful human being”.
“He was a very nice person. He and everyone got along really well. I really don’t know what happened. He was always laughing. He keeps to himself and out of trouble,” he said.
Toppin said his son, a former member of the Barbados Defence Force (BDF), had a 13-year-old son. After leaving the BDF, he became a mason and did that until his death.
Other family members, including his mother Sandra and girlfriend Kerryann Boyce, were distraught, especially after being allowed to view Mapp’s body.
Boyce said she was in no position to comment at the time.
One family member, who requested anonymity, described Mapp’s passing as a huge loss to their close-knit family.
“Antonio was an awesome person. He made everyone laugh. If you were sad you could go to him and he would make you laugh. He was a loving person,” the family member said.
Police are appealing to anyone with information on the incident to contact the nearest police station. (DB)
