The ministry of national security has offered a reward of $2 m for any information that will aid the police in capturing the person responsible for the sexual assault and murder of a young girl, in St. Catherine.

Dead is 9 year old Kelsey Cassidy Ferrigon, of Job Lane in Spanish Town.

Minister of national security Dr. Horace Chang said the brutal rape and murder of the girl is an outrage, particularly in a time when the police have been effectively reducing the number of murders by double digits.

Dr. Chang said this horrific act of unspeakable violence, where the life of an innocent child, full of promise and potential, has been cruelly extinguished, will not go unpunished.

He said the full force of the law will be brought on the perpetrators, of this evil, heinous and cowardly act. 

The minister has directed the commissioner of police, to utilise every available re-source, to bring those responsible to justice.

Dr. Chang said this tragedy demands more than just the capture of criminals; it also compels all good citizens to confront the deep-seated issues within society that allow such barbarity to happen.

He urged those responsible to turn themselves in and also urged citizens to not harbour the perpetrator.

While offering condolences to the family, Dr. Chang pledged unwavering support during this unimaginable time, adding that the entire nation mourns with them.

Dr. Chang said the brutality of crime in all forms is a scourge in society, and government is committed to rooting it out.

He said the authorities owe it to this girl and to all children to create a Jamaica, where such atrocities are never repeated.