Losing My Best Friend, Desiree Gibbon

If I could speak to myself a few months ago, I’d have a lot to say. That version of me wouldn’t know the loss I was about to experience. And never could I foresee the journey I would begin the day I found out my best friend died. Life is very strange. The thing is, all of us are going to experience great loss, if we have not already. But I never thought I would find myself at 26 years old grieving the loss of my dearest friend.

Desiree Gibbon Murder

On November 28th, 2017 at about 4:30 in the afternoon, I got on the phone with Andrea Gibbon only to find out the news that would change my life forever.

Rewind to 2007: It was the summer going into my junior year of high school at St. Francis Preparatory School in Queens, New York when I learned that Desiree Gibbon will be transferring into my school. I had already known Desiree for a few years through childhood friends, but it was the summer of 2007 that we became very close. We had so much fun together and shared countless adventures and memories, just as high school girls do. For the next year and a half, Desiree and I spent nearly every day together.

When my family moved to Cincinnati, Desiree and I still remained close. Any time I visited New York, we would always make it a point to hangout. Even if it was only for an hour. One year, I missed her so much, that I drove all the way to West Virginia just to spend a day with her.

Desiree Gibbon Murder

Fast forward to 2014 – Desiree and I are both living in NYC again and it feels as if we were never apart.

Desiree Gibbon Murder

Desiree was more than just my friend. She was my sister. She was a part of my family. She travelled to Greece with me, my father, and my sister a couple of summers ago. During the trip, my dad would refer to Desiree as his “fourth daughter”, and it was the truth.

One of the last times I saw Desiree was this past August. We spent the whole day which soon turned into night together on the beach. We danced, we stuffed our faces with food, and we laughed until we cried. I am so grateful for the memories I have with her.

A few months after, Desiree travelled to Montego Bay, Jamaica. She was going to spend a month there and was staying at a Bed and Breakfast that her grandmother owns.

The afternoon of November 28th, I got into my car and called Desiree’s mom, Andrea. She asked me how I was doing and when was the last time I spoke to her daughter. I told her I last spoke to her Thanksgiving afternoon. She said had some news to share.

She probably lost her phone or was in an accident, I thought. Nothing too serious?

She told me Desiree had passed. My mind went blank. Everything was a blur.

No, no, no.

It can’t be true.

It took a little while for me to respond to her, and to this day I have no recollection of what I said to her. We got off the phone and I ran back into my apartment shaking and crying. My sister and boyfriend were there and through tears I was barely able to get out the words “It’s Desiree. She’s dead”.

Desiree Gibbon Murder

From that point on, everything was a blur to me. I was the first of Desiree’s friends to find out the news, and felt that it was only appropriate that Andrea should be the one to tell them. That was the longest day of my life.

I made the mistake of Googling Desiree’s name. The first article that came up was from a Jamaican news source Jamaican Loop with the headline “Police identify Caucasian woman found with throat slashed in St James”. I screamed and immediately slammed my laptop shut. After a few minutes, I reopened my computer and read the article. They described the woman who was found in the shrubs of a remote road as being a “blond hair Caucasian woman, who is about five feet, eight inches tall and had a medium built”.

Then came her name – Desiree Gibbon.

THROAT SLASHED?

LEFT ON THE SIDE OF THE ROAD FOR 2 DAYS?!

I was convinced that they were wrong. They couldn’t be talking about the Desiree I know. The description was way off. Desiree was petit, not 5 feet 8 inches. I also let out a little chuckle at the fact that Desiree would never refer to herself as “Caucasian”.

I called Desiree’s mother again, and she confirmed that the article was in fact about Desiree.

Desiree was murdered. She had no idea that the night she walked out of her hotel would be her last. It just happened. She was targeted by some crazy person that she had trusted.

Andrea told me that Desiree was last seen Thanksgiving night leaving her grandmother’s hotel. Desiree told the man in the front desk that she will be right back. On Sunday morning, a passerby found her bruised body covered in blood in the shrubs.

Desiree was better than us and I cannot stress this enough. She was and always will be my role model. She wanted to change the world for the better.

Desiree was the kind of person to come in and take over. She wasn’t scared of anything. She was confident, she was loving, she was caring, and she always wanted to make an impact in this universe.

Anyone who knew her knew that we’d see her beautiful face in newspapers, magazines, and television some day.

We just didn’t think it would be in this way.

I barely slept for the next month, constantly refreshing my phone to see that this was all a mix up, or checking to see that my last iMessage to Desiree would finally say “delivered”.

December was a rollercoaster of emotions. I was completely numb. I was confused. I was angry. I was heartbroken. I couldn’t comprehend that someone would want to hurt Desiree. Honestly, I still don’t think that I can comprehend the fact that she is gone.

I frequently catch myself obsessing over the “what ifs”. What if she wasn’t alone? What if I was there with her? What if she didn’t leave her hotel room? What if? What if? WHAT IF?

There is no proven remedy to deal with grief. There is nothing that can get rid of this feeling. There is no way to take back what happened to Desiree.

I think not holding back tears and letting out a cry whenever I feel like it has helped. Or maybe it has been the conversations I have with Valery, Gaby, Chloe, and Kyle that keep me going. The jokes, or the “OMG look at these embarrassing pictures of us!”, or, remembering I still have that sweater I borrowed from her in high school.

I wish I had flown to Jamaica to hang out with her, like she kept on insisting. I wish I had a chance to spend just one last day with her.

I also wish that people like her killer would face consequences…

It has been over month, since we got to say our final “goodbyes” to Desiree, but the fight has just begun.

Desiree’s parents flew to Jamaica, so that they can bring her back home. Upon landing in the country, they were faced with obstacles, corruption, and negligence. The Jamaican authorities are failing to conduct a proper investigation.

To this day, two months after my best friend’s brutal murder, there have been no leads, no arrests, and the bare minimum effort by Jamaican detectives.

Desiree was lured out of her hotel room to meet someone. She had no money on her and no ID. Just her iPhone and her hotel key. She was set up by someone who she thought she could trust.

Jamaican economy relies greatly on tourism. What they don’t want tourists to know is how dangerous the island nation really is. It is only January, and Jamaica has seen over 100 murders in 2018! The parish of St. James (population 186,000) has reported over 350 murders in 2017, the majority of them in Montego Bay. At this rate, Montego Bay is unquestionably the deadliest city in the world, for a country not at war. However, why do tourism companies fail to disclose this to customers? Why do cruises and travel agencies send families to the deadliest city in the world? Why do they create an image of a “magical tropical paradise” to Americans, when in reality one step out of the resort and you are entering a war zone?

The Jamaican government needs to step up to the plate. They need to do more in the investigation and bring justice to Desiree Gibbon. If the Jamaican government fails to do so, then we must do everything in we can to bring out the truth about how they are handling the case of a murdered American citizen. We will be forced to expose the corruption and danger of this island. Until they reassess their law enforcement practices and come to a conclusion in Desiree’s case, tourists are not safe in Jamaica.

The government in Jamaica is corrupt on many levels. No one is to be trusted, and everyone is suspicious. Money buys information and you can never really be sure if the information is reliable, legitimate, or a just set up.

So, as I said before, my life is now completely changed forever. I find myself consumed by fear. I now realize that anything could happen at any moment.

I still miss Desiree very much, but honestly – for me the hardest times are hearing a song we would sing together, or a seeing movie we would watch over and over together, or driving by a place we would frequently visit. That’s what make me miss her the most – the things that remind me of the memories we shared. I even catch myself picking up my phone and writing her a text, before I realize that I will never get a reply.

People treat this like an elephant in the room, but I want to talk about her all the time. I don’t want people to forget Desiree. Remembering makes her real, not just a photograph, or a headline, or an obituary.

Desiree was the smartest, toughest, funniest, most outgoing person I knew. I see people talking so casually about Desiree on social media, a person I knew so well, and I just wanted to yell at them. They would never understand that this isn’t just another “dead girl”. She was my best friend and death does not defeat love.

Nothing anyone could have said could have prepared me for this.

Any publicity that Desiree’s case receives helps keep her story alive. Keeping Desiree’s story relevant helps us get closer to finding her killer and continuously attack the people and the government that are failing to bring the truth about what happened to her. We are demanding answers.

Desiree Gibbon Murder

 

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12 Comments

  1. ***ANGELINA ~ WE CONTINUE TO PRAY FOR YOU DEAR.
    ***ANDREA GIBBON – We solemnly pray for you & your family HOWEVER you are on the WRONG path in trusting or relying upon T. J. WARD & his ‘GANG’.
    ***DR. OZ & OTHERS – You & your past & current networks & advertisers have been warned about
    T. J. WARD & his LONGTIME close friend & business associate – ED KRAMER a/k/a ELIOT BENTON … A MULTIPLE CONVICTED CHILD MOLESTER. It is documented & evidenced that Ward & Kramer have RUN HARMFUL (& illegal) CONS & SCAMS ON UNSUSPECTING CITIZENS FOR YEARS …
    nationwide & internationally.
    Yet, Dr. Oz & like ‘professionals’ & those so desperate & suffering, initially, like ANDREA – continue to ENABLE
    T. J. WARD & others complicit with him.
    WITH ONLY A SMALL EFFORT OF INVESTIGATION ON WARD …
    YOU WILL FIND ‘OF RECORD’ DOCUMENTATIONS & OTHER EVIDENCE THAT HE IS NOT WHAT HE PROCLAIMS -HE & HIS GANG ARE EVIL CONS & SCAMMERS & HAVE BEEN CONVICTED OF CRIMES!!!
    PLEASE, PLEASE SAVE YOURSELF & YOUR FAMILY….. BEWARE OF WARD & DODI (his wife (ex-wife(?)who has knowledge), KRAMER, KARIC & OTHER OF of WARD’S LONGTIME CRONIES.

  2. some of police are corrupt and not. I have actually gone on mission with police and u know had to do their work for them.. seen corrupt police in action and there is a system. being persistent. also having violent person i was involved in and had to get serious. in my situation I did not take risk even around friends I know for years. and was on guard and if I felt not to confident was ok to be in my room for days .. I have always manage to have a great time even alone and moving up. eyes are always on you and its about money or something, never underestimate persons intentions. not just persons seeking money ur teeth or clothe but your soul ur mindset and will take it. I used to joke that it was almost like working in my job in art world.. lool… and almost.. looking for a woman seems like a start. she was hanging around a studio with musicians. what dirt girl was maybe jealous who knows. Possible that jealousy of someone was is also part of the set up I was involved in.

  3. I have travel to jamiaca over many years. alone a girl and lived in Montego bay and had seen it all . lived in ghetto and loved it . iw as one who travel on street alone all hours and I was not stupid about life. if I was not capable id not do it or go beyond my own. one time I was stalked by a guy with a knife and took him up road of worst where I stayed not to far from Gibbs around the park and down hill and some crak head follow me I did not open my mouth to persons who asked me if I was ok and it was a horror pursuit of me by time I came to a guest house and another crack head join me and show knives. my friedns also in ghetto who I know and see daily would kick his ass and beat life out of him. the man came out and brinish a machette when I told him and the crack head was very bold.. like asking where the white girl was. like nothing. and he said why and the guy ran. i have had evil people put in my path to abuse me and things happen and every day in life got better for me up until Negril. I used to not like Negril or heavy tourist area for the problem of tourist stalkers. the ones who hawk tourist like a bad heroin habbt and its all about the dollars. the Jamaican wage is like what a tourist wil put in hand in a hour, and times that.. ok so not working a job and hawking tourist all day is a pathetic occupation. like riding around a broken bike so people feel sorry and dress down. i myself in nyc worked and had no clothes and had clothes handed to me , because my boss felt i was struggling and i bought her very expensive thank you. in jamiaca its we want more.. not to much about thanks but more. and the more money someone shows to a indigent looking to gain profit off tourist dollar tourism schemes that go from that to hunt old women and sweet talk them to love and using them for support is an old time game even with Jamaican girls with men. not just tourist. so Negril and tourist areas are about tourist. one person i was not to kind to monetarily like that and k ind to other ways as a person who had a fun life and was rising up from y own struggle and dealing with it in normal manner and loved my life. this person being a person who lived in place he stole from people turned them into drsug addicts and a problematic person who had to rely on k indness of others to feed him cousins but had some personality, also was given kindness by others. which like the signs in park don’t feed the animals because they become violent and dependent on that food is a lie but with the kind of dog and hog when ur knid to in bible Jesus said. in regards to Jamaica they will get violent and kill and rape and as far as this person goes is roll model for it. being kind to this kind of person and getting out of it was like to not tick off his sociopath. and although i was kind to him and gave him things i said was to smart for this and not to take money out of my pocket but did and gave him some nice stuff was just a test to see how far they can go. how stupid you are and tear up it and then ask for more. sell it and ask for more and laugh at me humiliates me and women moving like a cocaine addicted clowns all over Negril . Negril where one girl disappeared and was never found from queens. ok in my years in Jamaica getting to Negril came off being hit on by a person in Kingston with same intent . touching Negril was somewhat refreshing and interesting until you get the evil part of persons who think they are hot shot living off some women’s money and insult people hateful if you are not that person . Negril is about any dollar they can get even to use puppies to pet them and u have to pay money . ok so i am a like a local and don’t travel like a tourist and was kind to a lot of people to, bringing stuffer nd have friends and life like that. so iwas about done with the games of Negril and still was kind to this person which turned into a horror story of wont go away. even when a woman came down fell for the game and gave it all to him. Ok people would come down and buy drugs weed from people and they take them around im sure feed them and do the trip. so they take that persons money and then measure the next person b that and if this poor pocket someone wi3th no shoes or life. does not get what he wants its insults evil abuse .. and any way to get money out of someone. ok one of his tickets pulled out from his texting her ten thousand text in seductions about how great it was and asking for money to help him eat and so forth. he got laid off from a job because he wanted to use the white woman as a ticket and so brave to see if he could ake her from the boss. lol. eyes watching your every move and anylizing you and its always that one who go be the brave one to act out and theyare put in my path to abuse me. or test me. this one i left also in time like the one before and out of it. to keep my life and career , and he got his wish but util they killed me for cousin cousin of cousin and cousin it was not go end. and i was set up and saw through the set up, and what they were go do with the next person in Kingston to get even with me for not being heart broken it was over. he said he hated me and the women he tried to use to burn me year before and needed money. that is how that game goes. i had a lot of fun in Jamaica and the shit that goes on did not bother me. scammers is part of the game but this person is a evil insane moving person moving to fast and obsessed and also greed ridden and it turns to murder.. if ur kin dto wrong person that person takes kindness is not like a privilege’s but you have to be part of the game or die attitude. i got out of it happy he got his wish and the other part was to kil me and someone else to help him.. and the set up that took place four years ago of me taking years to perfect my life and overcome brain issues from abuse as a kid and the game was to take my life at the part i had survive it all and someone and the persons in this story and pursuit of punish me for not be them, and kill me was to induce a death punch on me. i have been in places with humor of like guy and we were good friends until his babies mother from Canada also came down and he pretend to hate me with the woman who did. jelousy then when she left it was all good. lol, ok this canadion Waman was all about feeling sorry that said perons is just a victim of society, but something else evil here might be my own family member to make sure that i was not successful winged monkey these persons who were put in my path to prevent me from getting the life i got after i escape family and was living my happy life. what took place four years ago as i was going up and keep goin and had been there done, was evil and i was induce a death punch. first all all persons were tryhing ot use a hypnosis based game to throw off people mind to rob or rape them or have sexual encounter and i regain myself and was recover from that when a sad and evil set up took place where i was sent into a medical crisis and death punch which induce a fatal state and i saw instant death, and a person used that lead to a very perfect game of how to destroy a human being mentally and other in one second using some little tricks a man and a game of hypnosis and other leading for me to suffer massive damage and stroke like and brain damage and then left to die in streets of nyc when i came back and dr failed to treat me. i began to suffer and digress with my entire life being reversed and persons follow me saying they were going to teach me a lesson about black people and getting even for slavery and go be the rich ones now and so on so forth. ok said person telling the man to jilt me to induce a induce mental break down the kind people don’t recover from and some tricks.. and more. for four years my life resembles something from exorcist or Emily rose and has not stopped until there is nothing left of me and triangulation to go on to of empaths and more empaths tearing my life up and mind, until the victim me kills themselves or dies. persons around me mystically ignore my cries and with stories like Desire and murder u think that they don’t happen unless its their kids. after taking years for me to get up and go and have a life. one punk one punk who uses others kindness and the enabler his source and other were given an open door to destroy my life. not one objected and i had the chances she did not to tell someone. no matter what u do sometimes.. that if devil is on it they devil wants to p[rove he can win and enabled by someone.. between the lines and people.. there is always the one person.. who tells others to act and it comes out in the cycles.. this sounded like a jealousy some kind of girl, and im sure if it was robbery they would taken what else off her but the phone alone. why police are not on it and one other guy murder in Negril where the wife Jamaican was in car and unable to identify the person who killed her white husband.?

  4. That is really terrible, horrible to hear. Me and my husband travel there all the time, but my husband is
    A native when we go there we get picked up by family that live there. Unfortunately I do really believe like Mexico Jamaica is very corrupt. To bad she felt comfortable traveling by herself even if her grandmother owned the resort she was at. These days like the Bible says in the last days that people would be fierce without love of goodness. Unfortunately evil lurks in our world and they don’t care what happened to her it’s evident with their lack of divulging evidence or lack of investigation . I hope that it hurts them where it counts. That people never ever travel there and spend money. When we go there and stay at the resorts we are always generous with the natives selling their goods! Shame on them! I hope they catch who did it, but it looks like they don’t care. People never really get away with evil it will come back to bite them one day. Jehovah one day will rid the earth of the wicked I really look forward to that day when it comes. Psalm37:10,11

  5. I am hoping that the Jamaican police are still working to find her killers. I trust that the police will find Desiree Gibbon killers.

    1. I have always had faith in the Jamaican police if they are deal with right. don’t know why they don’t have no information on this. like i said one man was killed in Negril also a Canadian and the killer was found. then the white guy killed by someone while his wife was in car with him. strange that she can not identify the person. and story end there.

  6. Angelina, I am so very sorry for your loss. I recently lost my very dear brother, & I can relate to what you’ve observed about grief & memories. Especially, as far as your observation about elephant in the room syndrome. Most people think talking about it will make you feel worse, when in fact it helps, is very essential, & very comforting. Good luck with both your grieving & with trying to get information that leads to justice.

    1. Hi MaryEllen, I am sorry for the loss of your brother. Yes, talking about it is very important and comforting. It keeps the memories alive. Thank you for your kind words. My condolences to you and your family

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