Aston Hyatt - contributed

By Jonique Gaynor, Staff Reporter

Almost two weeks after 73-year-old Aston Hyatt was reported missing, his body was identified at a morgue by relatives.

Hyatt, who was a resident at a home for the elderly, went to the Kingston Public Hospital for an appointment, but when the nurse left to fill his prescription, he simply walked away. His only child, Jackie, told THE STAR that Hyatt had trouble with his nerves and was also going senile.

Pranks

She also told THE STAR that she had received calls from several persons all over the island, who claimed to have seen her father, but most of these calls turned out to be pranks.

Hyatt's body was picked up by the waterfront in downtown Kingston on February 27, one day after he was reported missing. His family, however, only discovered his body when they decided to start checking local morgues. During their checks, they were told that four unidentified persons were at the morgue, and two were elderly. Checks by a relative revealed that it was in fact Hyatt.

His daughter is disappointed in the way the matter was handled, as she told THE STAR that the body was discovered by an officer from the very station to which she had reported the missing case. She believes checks could have been made.

She said, "It's sad you know, to know that we were up and down looking and he was at the parlour."