Murder in paradise: Who killed Desiree Gibbon?
Last Seen On Holiday26-year-old Desiree Gibbon should have been safe at her family's bed-and-breakfast near Montego Bay, Jamaica. But in a decision later described as completely out of character, she left the property alone late that night, with devastating consequences.
We feature the case in the new season of Last Seen On Holiday, which explores what happens when British and American travellers go missing abroad. Each story reveals the turmoil families endure when they don’t know where their loved ones are.
Crime+Investigation examines the background to the murder, the investigation that followed, and why – years later – Desiree's family are still waiting for justice.
Who was Desiree Gibbon?
By all accounts, Desiree Gibbon was a hard-working and self-motivated young woman who wanted to become a model, actress and director. At the time of her murder, she was working as a bartender to save money for film school.
She lived in the US with her mother, Andrea Gibbon, but regularly travelled back to Jamaica to spend time at her grandmother's bed-and-breakfast near Montego Bay.
Desiree and her mother were close. Andrea remembered her daughter's work ethic and love for travel in interviews after her murder:
‘She wanted to travel to countries and try things and experience cultures...She had planned to go to film school...But she wanted to earn money for it, she didn't want us to pay for it. She wanted to make it on her own.’
The disappearance
Desiree went missing on 23rd November 2017, Thanksgiving Day. That evening, she spoke with her mother and had dinner at the bed-and-breakfast.
She was last seen at around 11pm, when she told staff that she would be ‘right back’. According to witnesses, she was ‘wearing shorts and hot-pink flip-flops, carrying only her iPhone and room key.’ Her decision to leave the property alone was unusual.
Andrea told reporters: ‘She never travelled by herself...She always left with somebody. They would take a car service provided by the hotel, and the same driver would take them, drop them, and bring them back.’
When Desiree didn't return, her friends and family panicked. Jamaica recorded 1,647 homicides in 2017. With a population of around 2.9 million, this equated to 57 homicides per 100,000 people. Her disappearance was even more alarming against the backdrop of these statistics.
Two days later, Desiree's body was found on an isolated road near Anchovy, St James. She had suffered extensive bruising, and her throat had been cut in a violent assault.
The investigation
The investigation into Desiree’s murder wasn't straightforward. There was no CCTV footage on the quiet rural road where her body was found, and her friends and family couldn’t think of anyone who might have wanted to hurt her. Police appealed to the public for help, but there were no significant breakthroughs.
Despite the frustrating lack of leads, there were some clues. Investigators confirmed that Desiree had not been sexually assaulted, suggesting the crime wasn’t sexually motivated. But she had no money or identification, pointing towards a robbery gone wrong.
Whatever the motive, it was apparent she had fought her attacker. One of her sandals was missing, and she had several defensive wounds.
Three years after Desiree's murder, police revealed that DNA samples from six persons of interest failed to identify the killer, leaving the investigation at a dead end.
Ongoing pursuit of justice
Desiree’s family have never stopped searching for answers. Andrea believes the perpetrator is hiding in plain sight: ‘My belief is that it was a cold, calculated, planned-out murder. It wasn't a random act of violence. It was somebody she knew, and it's somebody she trusted’.
Andrea believes the nature of the attack suggests the killer was someone Desiree knew. However, investigators have never publicly disclosed any evidence to support that theory.
Her father has continued to campaign for justice to bring his daughter’s murderer to justice:
‘It is an unsolved murder. We still have no answers, and we are pleading to the…US Embassy for any help we can possibly get. Police went to the hotel in Montego Bay, and they returned a flip-flop that she was wearing that day as evidence.’
Years later, no one has been charged with Desiree's murder, but her family continue to tirelessly raise awareness and campaign for justice.
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