Two American missionaries were found slain in a desolate rural area in Jamaica, and the motive for their ki1lings is unknown, authorities said Sunday.
The battered bodies of Randy Hentzel, 48, and Harold Nichols, 53, were found in bushes of the St. Mary parish in Kingston, according to a statement from the Jamaica Constabulary Force.
Police have made no arrests and given no further details about the deaths.
The First Family Church in Ankeny, Iowa, which Hentzel had worked with, said the missionaries “were out on a motorcycle ride and were attacked and murdered.”
“Please pray for the Hentzel family in this time of shocking news and great loss,” the church said.
The Jamaica Observer said Hentzel was found with his hands bound by a piece of cloth apparently torn from his shirt, with a motorcycle near his body.
Hentzel and Nichols worked for the Pennsylvania-based religious group Teams for Medical Missions. The two taught the Bible and built homes in Jamaica for several years, and their wives lived and worked with them there, according to the group.
“We do not know who would do this or what their motivation was,” Teams for Medical Missions said on its Facebook page.
“These men greatly loved the people of Jamaica and were greatly loved in return. TEAMS for Medical Missions remains committed to serving the people of Jamaica and demonstrating the unconditional love of Christ.”
The area where the bodies were found is notorious for its high violent crime rates, authorities said.
↪
http://www.nydailynews.co .. icle-1.2621539