TROY, Trelawny — Huddled on the verandah of their family home, relatives of 10-year-old Shani “Kaidra” Coke, whose partially nude body was found with her throat slashed on Tuesday, remembered the child for her brilliance and radiant smile.

“Shani was born here and lived [with her grandparents], because her [mother] has to work. When Shani goes to school she doesn’t play around. She took her education seriously. From Shani a go basic school she was always first [in her class]. She was always putting out her best. She is from an educated background. Her father is educated and so is her mother,” the child’s aunt Shawna Williams-Stevens told journalists on Wednesday as she stood beside her grieving sister, Shani’s mother Ackeem “Kim” Williams.

The aunt’s hands could not hold the many academic trophies and certificates earned by Shani during her tenure at Troy Primary School.