Wanted woman arrived in Cayman days after permit approval

(CMR) Details have emerged about how a woman who was wanted for murder in Jamaica got to the Cayman Islands on a work permit. Ashley Williams (20) was arrested and deported earlier this month.

Williams (20) of Denham Town in Kingston has since been charged with the murder of 47-year-old David Rowe, a bearer of Septimus Street, Jones Town.

A Caymanian small business owner applied for a temporary work permit on 15 December for Williams, who at the time had a clean police record. The permit was approved on 28 December 2022.

In a release, Workforce Opportunities & Residency Cayman (WORC) said it worked with Customs & Border Control (CBC) and the Royal Cayman Islands Police Service (RCIPS) to remove Williams.

Williams reportedly arrived in Grand Cayman on 1 January 2023 and was returned to Jamaica under the escort of two RCIPS officers on 5 January 2023.

Jamaican authorities initially contacted CBC on 2 January 2023 with an arrest warrant for Williams, who went by a particular nickname. No full name was provided at the initial point of contact.

The Jamaican authorities reached back out to CBC on 3 January and provided the full name of the suspect. CBC then contacted WORC and issued an advisory with the full name of the wanted person, and immediate action was taken to revoke the temporary work permit.

The Caymanian employer holding the temporary work permit also decided to formally cancel the application on 3 January, preceding the suspect’s arrest, detention and removal from the island within 24 hours of her arrest.

CMR sources revealed that Williams' sister, Cassandra Williams-Fox aka Ashley, who is in the Cayman Islands, knew about what had happened in Jamaica and got her friend to do a work permit so Williams could flee to Grand Cayman.

WORC and CBC have pledged to continue to work together to ensure that individuals fleeing criminal prosecution do not enter or remain in the Cayman Islands.

“WORC and CBC remain focused and resolute in effectively strengthening our border protection measures, ultimately protecting our community against risks associated with national security and public safety interests. Our departments continue to work effectively on varying strategic and operational initiatives, inclusive of other local law enforcement and Government departments, yielding positive results in detection of crimes and assurance of compliance across varying laws,” WORC Acting Interim Director Jeremy Scott said.

“This case was just one example demonstrating our effective networking ties, which permitted us to respond and act quickly upon confirmation of the suspect’s identity, facilitated by Jamaican authorities,” he added.

Deputy Premier and Minister for Border Control Hon. Chris Saunders said, “I am proud of the swift and strategic action taken by WORC and CBC in collaboration with RCIPS and the Jamaican authorities. We must take a very strong stance and clearly demonstrate that the Cayman Islands does not welcome or provide a safe haven for individuals absconding from the law in their home countries. We will continue to ensure that the Cayman Islands remain one of the best and safest places to live and work.”

Her sister, “So-Seductive Ashley”, has been in a bit of a situation in the Cayman Islands already as she works for Blue Marlin, but a janitorial company holds her work permit.