Angela Lee, mother of Conrod Reid, grieves after viewing the body of her son who was missing since last Monday after his bike ran out of gas on South Camp Road, St Andrew. His body was found in a gully behind the defunct Alpha Infant School on South Camp Road yesterday. - photos by Rudolph Brown/Chief Photographer

A two-year-old girl is now without a father after his decomposing body was discovered in a gully behind the defunct Alpha Infant School on South Camp Road in Kingston yesterday morning.

Dead is 25-year-old Conrod Reid, a pastry chef, of 12 1/2 Hilldene Avenue in the Mountain View area. He was reported missing last Tuesday after calls by his girlfriend to his cellular phone since 10:30 last Monday night went unanswered.

His cousin, Marva Lee Foster, told The Gleaner that Reid left the house to visit his girlfriend in the Waltham Park area Monday night. Upon reaching South Camp Road, Reid telephoned his girlfriend telling her that his motorcycle had run out of fuel.

"An me seh to har, if a down at Waltham, him should all right but if a down a Camp [he's in trouble]," Lee Foster said, shaking her head in disbelief.

A report was made to the Mountain View police the following morning, Lee Foster said, but she was told there were no units to assist them.

Another attempt was made to report Reid's prolonged absence to the Mobile Reserve off South Camp Road, but the family was directed to the Central Kingston police.

Surprising discovery

Tasheika Jadusingh, girlfriend of Conrod Reid, weeps after hearing the bad news.

Reid's rotting remains were not discovered until Sunday morning, ironically by another man in search of his own missing relative.

He was drawn to the premises by an overwhelming stench.

Grief shrouded the crime scene as Reid's girlfriend, Tasheika Jadusingh, fainted at the sight of his body and had to be taken aside.

His mother, Angela Lee, had not seen her son since December when he travelled from St Elizabeth to Kingston. She, however, spoke to him by phone on Monday. She was too overwhelmed with sorrow to speak with the press.

Police have not yet established a motive for the murder, but Reid's family believes it was robbery, as his motorbike, vehicle documents and cellular phone were missing.

gareth.manning@gleanerjm.com`