Court to Decide Custody of Jolyan Silvera’s Sons Following Murder Charge: Person of Interest Wanted by Police

Following the arrest and charge of Jolyan Silvera for the alleged murder of his wife Melissa Silvera, whose custody the couple’s sons will be placed in will be decided by the court.

It was initially reported on November 10, 2023, that Melissa died in her sleep at the family’s home in Stony Hill, St. Andrew. The 42-year-old was a month shy of celebrating her eighth wedding anniversary.

Throughout their marriage, Melissa and her husband had four sons: Justin, Axel, and twins Adam and Aden. According to reports from the Jamaica Observer, 2-year-old Justin drowned in a pool at the family home in 2017.

During Melissa’s funeral, Silvera could be seen weeping for his deceased wife beside his surviving sons, nine-year-old Adam and Aden, and four-year-old Axel. However, Silvera was arrested on January 19 following an investigation into his wife’s death.

An autopsy conducted three weeks after Melissa’s alleged peaceful passing in her sleep found three bullet fragments in her body, prompting further scrutiny of the case. As Silvera remains behind bars, who will care for his children remains in question.

Reports state that custody of the children will be decided on Friday in the Kingston and St. Andrew Family Court. The children were reportedly very close to their parents, and the court is attempting to have them settled as soon as possible in a good environment.

Amid the ongoing investigation into Melissa’s murder, the police are currently searching for a person of interest, identified as Sashana Miller. Detectives have requested that Miller turn herself into the police and further asked the public to contact the authorities if they are aware of her location.

In regards to Silvera, the former member of parliament was slapped with an additional charge last week for using a firearm to commit an offence. After making his first appearance in court in January, Silvera is scheduled to return on February 8.