A New York City accountant sent eerie text messages begging for help moments before she was murdered during a birthday trip to Jamaica, her family has revealed.
Melissa Kerry Samnath died from blunt force trauma to the head on April 29, her 35th birthday, at Cornwall Regional Hospital in St. James Parish, the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) said.
Hours before her death, she sent her family a chilling WhatsApp message asking for help, her niece, Janice Wynter, told the Jamaica Gleaner.
‘I need you to call the cops. Look at my location. It is a pink house,’ the message said.
Samnath, who is a Jamaican national and US citizen, traveled to the island to celebrate her birthday with her Jamaican husband, Dane Watson, who she married in December 2025, according to the JCF.
Watson dropped Samnath at the hospital but fled as soon as he got her into a wheelchair, police said.
Medical staff called authorities after Samnath was pronounced dead.
A post-mortem examination conducted on May 6 determined Samnath’s cause of death was multiple blunt force trauma to the head.
On Sunday, the JCF identified Watson as a person of interest in the case and asked for the public’s assistance in locating him.
Melissa Kerry Samnath died from blunt force trauma to the head on her 35th birthday after she was allegedly dropped off at a hospital by her husband
Samnath, who is a Jamaican national and US citizen, traveled to the island to celebrate her birthday with her Jamaican husband
Investigators allegedly found surveillance footage that showed the couple walking from Samnath’s Airbnb to Watson’s residence as he carried her suitcase just hours before her death.
‘That’s where they also found her belongings, her suitcase, her purse, her iPad and her duffel bag,’ her sister, Liza Samnath, told Television Jamaica.
One neighbor told The Gleaner that police found pools of blood in Watson’s home.
‘There was a whole heap of blood in his house in Norwood. He beat her badly, man. Beat her in her head,’ the resident said.
Wynter, Samnath’s niece, claimed that Watson’s mother called their family and told them that her son had confessed to the murder.
‘His mother called to tell us she got a phone call from him, saying he killed her and dropped her off in a wheelchair at the hospital. He didn’t even have the audacity to take her into the hospital,’ she told the local newspaper.
Investigators are urging Watson to turn himself in to the Freeport Police Station in St. James or the nearest precinct.
Anyone with information about the case or his whereabouts are asked to contact the Freeport Police.
Samnath reportedly sent her family a chilling WhatsApp message asking for help in the hours before her death
Police have identified her husband Dane Watson as a person of interest in the case after he allegedly dropped her off at the hospital in a wheelchair
Wynter described her aunt as ‘one of the most loving persons ever.’
‘My aunt was very helpful and family-oriented,’ she said. ‘It has been hard on us. We can’t understand why he did this to her.’
Samnath’s family has launched a GoFundMe to help with funeral expenses.
‘Melissa was a strong, loving, and unforgettable woman whose warmth touched everyone around her,’ the fundraiser said.
‘She loved traveling, exploring new places, and spending time with the people she cared for most. Her loss has left a deep pain in our family that words cannot fully express.’
