A Wembley man warned his older brother that someone might kill him, shortly before he mysteriously disappeared.
Shane Mitchell, 60, saidĀ his brother Cedric called him and told him that if he suddenly died, he wanted his family to know who had killed him.
He named a man who he said had been demanding money and threatening his life.
Cedric was so frightened of the man that he spent some time living in his car rather than his house, said Shane, who lives in Enfield.
āI thought, āHeās just talking ā theyāre not going to do nothingā,ā he sighed. āBut here I am, talking to some reporter about my brotherās death.
āItās a very sad situation. It just seems so far-fetched, the way this thing has happened to my brother. Itās very confusing.ā
Cedric, 54, was last seen alive on July 29, 2023, in the parish of St Elizabeth, Jamaica, where he had business interests.
Loved ones never heard from him again, and no body has never been found.
In a series of articles, we have detailed how his sister Maxine, frustrated by Jamaican policeās ālackadaisicalā efforts, flew out to investigateĀ for herself, uncovering allegations of blackmail andĀ murder that a police investigation had seemingly failed to identify and explore.
This newspaper was the first UK media outlet to begin reporting on Cedric's disappearance. It has since appeared in the national press as a result.
But the Jamaica Constabulary Force has still never responded to our enquiries about the case.
āShe is so brave,ā Shane said of Maxine. āCedric would be proud of her for what sheās done so far.ā
A private detective hired by Maxine claims sources have told him Cedric was murdered and dumped in a cesspit.
Cedric's best friend says he heard the suspected killerĀ threatening Cedric and then had his own life threatened by the same man.
āItās a terrible thing,ā said Shane. āIām still trying to get my head around itā¦ These Jamaican police are not doing anything about it.ā
Shane and Cedric grew up among a large family in Chalkhill. Cedric attended Preston Manor School.
āHeās my lovely little brother,ā Shane said. āHe was a lovely baby. I used to love him a lot because I was the oldest.Ā He was like my first baby.
āEven though he grew up and he was a miserable sod, I always loved him. I used to always remind him, āCedric, I used to look after you, so have some mannersā, when he was being cheeky.
āHe was lovely when he was little. But when he grew up, he was the most miserable man you could have ever met...Ā Just one little thing could set him off and he wouldnāt be talking to you.ā
The two brothers were estranged for years over a minor dispute, he said, but reconciled in the lead-up to Cedricās disappearance.
āMy brother is a very strong-minded person. Heās a Libran. Heās a bit hard-headed. In Jamaica we have a saying -Ā āhe canāt take tellingā,ā Shane said.
āYou canāt tell him anything. He knows everything. He was a very quiet guy, but if he gets in an argument and feels like heās in the right and youāre in the wrong, he will not ever chat to you again.
āThere was once that I didnāt talkĀ to Cedric, I swear, it was eight years, and it was shocking to me when we did talk. And when we did talk, it was all problems.ā
By then, Cedric ā who had studied architecture at university ā had become a property developer and landlord in Jamaica, after first visiting the island with a family friend.
Shane said his brother was a serious man who worked extremely hard, channelling all his time and energy into making money and building a nice home for himself.Ā
āI was video calling him one time and said, āLet me see your yardā. He walked around his property. It was beautiful. Absolutely gorgeous,ā Shane recalled.
āI was saying, my little brother is like a man. Heās doing better than me and Iām the older one. He should hold up his head. Heās done a lot in his life and Iām really proud of him.ā
But their conversations took a dark turn when Cedric told Shane that a man was threatening him over a dispute, demanding money.
āHim and this man kept kicking off. There was one stage when this man threatened that he was going to kill my brother,ā Shane alleged.
āHe would go to the house ā āWhereās my money?ā There was a stage where Cedric actually lived outside his house, inside his car, because things were getting so messed up.ā
During one call, Shane alleged, Cedric said: āLet me tell you something. If anything happens to meā¦ā
āI said, āWhat do you mean now, Cedricā? He said, āIf I die any time soon, itās becauseā¦ā.ā
This paperĀ cannot legally repeat the defamatory assertions Cedric made ā but he named individuals he believed might murder him and outlined the basis for his suspicions.
āI said, āOh man, Cedric, what are you saying to me?ā He got me all worried,ā Shane recalled.
He was left āprayingā for his younger brother, he said ā but over the following months, things calmed down andĀ āseemed hunky-dory.ā
But then Cedric disappeared.Ā He travelled from the USA to Jamaica in mid-July 2023.Ā There is no record of him ever leaving again.
His WhatsApp account, which he used obsessively, was never accessed after July 29, 2023.
Relatives say his money, personal documents and electronicsĀ disappeared from his home. His car key was also missing, yet his car remained in his garage.
According to Cedricās family, police failed to conduct any forensic tests at his home, made offensive andĀ dismissive comments about the case, carried out noĀ meaningful searches for Cedric's bodyĀ and appeared to be aiding potential suspects instead of investigating them.
Private investigator Robert Finzi-Smith claims sources in St Elizabeth have told him who murdered Cedric, how it happened and where his body was hidden ā but so far, police have not acted on his intelligence.
Catch up on our exclusive investigation into Cedric Mitchell's disappearance:
- Sister: 'I know my brother has been murdered, but Jamaican police are doing nothing'
- 'I know who murdered my best friend, because he tried to murder me next'
- Private Eye: 'I know how Cedric Mitchell was murdered and where to look for his body'
Shane, 60, suffered an aneurysm around three years ago. He had to undergo brain surgery and was left unable to work. He canāt afford to fly out to Jamaica and support Maxineās fight for the truth. He asked for his own face not to be published alongside our reporting.
He fears the stress and heartache caused by Cedricās unsolved disappearance is worsening his own health.
āThey say it could come back,ā he said of his aneurysm. āI get stressed and think, āOh s***, Iām going to die nowā.ā
Shane said Cedricās disappearance a year ago had changed his life.
āI have friends and I go to their homes and they watch crime shows for hours about this one murdered that one, and it reminds me of my brother. It really stresses me out,ā he said.
āI canāt sit and listen to it ā peopleās unnecessary reasons for killing people. Unfortunately, theyāve gone and done that to my brother. And he didnāt deserve it. He didnāt.ā
āI know heās miserable,ā he chuckled. āBut heās just that guy. He became quite a moody person. His frown is awful. Iām 60 and I canāt frown like my brother. Heās the baby of the family and he looks older than me.ā
He sighed: āI just wish I could have helped himā¦ Iām still asking the universe because it would just be so wonderful if one day, Cedric just pops up. I would love that. But I donāt think thatās going to happen.ā
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